Form - PPE Specification Template | Fire Service Safety Management System

Purpose. A one-page minimum specification for any protective clothing or equipment item, in the format the Equipment Standards team uses for every request and the {{JOHSC}} sees at consultation. It has eight headings: compliance, performance, materials, design, durability, certification, sizing and care. One page, then the tender attaches the detail. (S1)

Template

Section	Entry
Item
Request no. and date; requested by (role, team)
Purpose and the hazard it protects against (from the hazard profile)
Compliance standard and edition (current edition; earlier editions not accepted)
Performance values required, each with the test method and whether the value is stated new or after laundering
Materials by layer (outer shell, moisture barrier, thermal liner; or as the item has)
Design features (closures, interfaces, coverage, compatibility with the department’s other elements)
Durability: performance retained after ___ wash and dry cycles
Certifications: third-party certification label; restricted substances test report from an accredited laboratory with total fluorine result; full chemical disclosure of every layer including any flame retardant; independent toxicity data for any substitute; statement on PFAS
Sizing: full range the department’s members need, tailored patterns, custom route at no cost to the member, sizing chart supplied
Care requirements: cleaning method, limits (G-force, temperature, detergent), drying, storage, expected service life, manufacturer’s care instructions supplied
Field trial required (evaluation / procurement / none) and the trial plan reference
{{Health and Safety Officer}} review (date, result)
{{JOHSC}} consultation (date; response; department’s decision)
Equipment Standards team decision, date and basis; equipment standards list entry
Procurement reference

Worked example: structural firefighting hood

The values are an example of a department’s own minimums. The product standard’s minimums are lower, and a department may set its own higher (NFPA 1970, 2025).

Section	Entry
Item	Structural firefighting hood, particulate-blocking
Purpose and hazard	Head and neck protection from heat and from particulate penetration at the hood interface during structural firefighting
Compliance	Certified to the protective ensemble standard (NFPA 1970, 2025); hoods must carry a particulate-blocking layer
Performance	Particulate blocking efficiency 99 percent for 0.1 to 1.0 micron particles (the standard’s minimum is 90 percent); thermal protective performance 30 cal/cm² or better after washing; total heat loss 350 W/m² or better (the standard’s floor for hoods is 325 W/m²)
Materials	Flame-resistant outer (for example meta-aramid); particulate barrier layer; moisture-wicking flame-resistant inner
Design	Full head and neck coverage; panels compatible with the department’s SCBA facepiece; elasticized face opening; flat-lock seams; barrier extends to within 19 mm of any hem
Durability	99 percent particulate blocking efficiency retained after 100 wash and dry cycles
Certifications	NFPA 1970 label; restricted substances report with total fluorine at or below the no-intentionally-added-PFAS threshold (NFPA 1970, 2025); flame retardant disclosure for every layer
Sizing	Multiple sizes; sizing chart
Care	Hand wash in the designated dirty sink or machine wash in a mesh bag at no more than 100 G and water not above 40 °C (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 6), mild detergent, air dry in shade with ventilation, store only when fully dry
Trial	Evaluation trial with members of every body type and one volunteer station; interface check with every facepiece model in service
JOHSC consultation	Required: new or changed PPE is safety-sensitive

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Who completes
Item, request no., requester	Text	Yes	Team lead
Purpose and hazard	Text, hazard profile reference	Yes	Team lead
Compliance standard and edition	Text	Yes	Team lead; {{Health and Safety Officer}} checks
Performance values and methods	Numbers, text	Yes	Team with the manufacturer’s data
Materials, design, durability	Text, number of cycles	Yes	Team
Certifications and disclosure	Text, attachments	Yes	Team; procurement enforces
Sizing	Text	Yes	Team with fitting personnel
Care requirements	Text	Yes	{{PPE Coordinator}}
Trial	Choice, reference	Yes	Team lead
HSO review	Date, result	Yes	{{Health and Safety Officer}}
JOHSC consultation	Dates, text	Yes	Policy coordinator; JOHSC co-chairs
Decision and list entry	Text, date	Yes	Equipment Standards team chair

Instructions

Write the specification before looking at products. A specification written around one product is a sole-source request, not a standard.
State every performance value with its test method and whether it is new or after laundering; values that only hold new are not accepted.
Attach the manufacturer’s certification documents, the restricted substances report and the care instructions to the tender file; the specification page stays one page.
Route: team lead, {{Health and Safety Officer}}, {{JOHSC}}, Equipment Standards team, procurement. File the JOHSC response and the department’s decision with the program records.

References

National Fire Protection Association. (2025). NFPA 1970, Standard on protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting, work apparel, open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for emergency services, and personal alert safety systems (PASS) (consolidates NFPA 1971, 1975, 1981 and 1982). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1970-standard-development/1970

National Fire Protection Association. (2026). NFPA 1850, Standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting and open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) (consolidates NFPA 1851 and 1852). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1850-standard-development/1850