# Form - PPE Routine Inspection Card > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-FRM-21. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-ppe-routine-inspection-card > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. **Purpose.** The member’s own check of every element after every use and at the start of every duty period, with the officer’s disposition. Pocket-sized; one card per use. It is the record of the routine inspection the standard requires of the wearer [(NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-ppe-routine-inspection-card#ref-nfpa-1850) and of the inspection before use that the applicable regulation requires ([J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment)). (S1) ## Card | Member ID | Date and time | After use (incident no.) / start of duty period / monthly (volunteer) | Set 1 / Set 2 / loaner | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | | | | | Tick each box checked. Write **F** in the box where there is a finding and describe it below. | Element | Soiling or contamination | Rips, tears, cuts, abrasion | Thermal damage (char, melt, burn hole, discolouration) | Hardware, closures, straps | Seams and stitching | Trim and reflectivity | Liner and attachment | Shrinkage or loss of elasticity | Specific to the element | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Coat | | | | | | | | | Wristlets; drag rescue device present and works | | Trousers | | | | | | | | | Suspenders; knee reinforcement | | Helmet | | | | | | | | | Shell cracks, dents, bubbling, soft spots; suspension and chin strap; faceshield or goggles clear and attached; ear covers | | Hood | | | | | | | | | Face opening elasticity; fit to facepiece | | Gloves | | | | | | | | | Liner not inverted; dexterity | | Boots | | | | | | | | | Sole wear or separation; toe cap not exposed; closure | | Facepiece interface | | | | | | | | | Hood and collar seal to the assigned facepiece with no gap | **Findings (element, what, where):** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Officer disposition** (tick one per element with a finding): | Element | Continue in service | Routine clean | Send for advanced cleaning | Send for advanced inspection | Remove from service, loaner issued (serial) | Officer initials | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | | | | | | | | **Concern raised by the member** (fit, contamination, damage, anything else): \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Answer due to the member by (five working days): \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Answered on: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ By: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Member initials: \_\_\_\_\_\_ Officer initials: \_\_\_\_\_\_ ## Fields | Field | Type | Required | Who completes | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | Member ID, date, trigger, set | Text, date, choice | Yes | Member | | Element check boxes | Tick or F | Yes, every element | Member | | Findings description | Text | When any F | Member | | Officer disposition per finding | Choice | When any F | Company officer | | Loaner serial | Text | When removed from service | Company officer | | Concern raised | Text | Optional | Member | | Answer due, answered on, by | Dates, role | When a concern is raised | Company officer or {{PPE Coordinator}} | | Initials | Initials | Yes | Member and officer | ## Instructions 1. Check in good light, after routine cleaning where the gear was used at a fire. Pull the liner away from the shell at the hem and cuffs to look at both. 2. Any **F** goes to the officer before the end of the shift or, for a volunteer, before the gear goes back in the bag. The officer decides the disposition using the finding categories in the program and tells the member. 3. Cards with no findings are kept at the station for the current year. Cards with findings go to the {{PPE Coordinator}} within one week and the disposition is entered against the serial number in {{Records system}}. 4. Gear removed from service is tagged with the card number and does not go back on the apparatus until an advanced inspection clears it. 5. The {{PPE Coordinator}} samples 10 cards a quarter and reports the finding rate and the answer rate in the quarterly update. > **Note: Customize** > > Print on card stock or build as a two-minute phone form. Add elements for wildland, rescue or water ensembles where the department issues them. ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The general PPE duty, including inspection before each use and maintenance by a competent person (this card is the inspection record) | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) | ## References 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).