# SWP - On-Scene Preliminary Exposure Reduction

> Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-SWP-05.
>
> Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction
>
> 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.

> **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure**
>
> Adopting this procedure without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices).

> **Speak up: Speak up**
>
> Anyone can stop this task if it looks wrong. Name the hazard, name the action: “Stop, that crew is doffing in the smoke, move the decon area upwind.” Or: “I’m keeping my mask on, nobody has metered this room yet.” The officer acknowledges, acts, and reviews it later for learning, never for blame. The one debrief question for this task: “Who left the scene without gross decon, a hood swap and wipes, and what got in the way?”

## 1. Task and when this applies

This procedure reduces the contamination on you and your gear before you take the gear off, and keeps that contamination out of the cab and the station. It applies to every member who worked in the hot or warm zone at a fire of any kind: structure, vehicle, dumpster, wildland and interface, training burns, and post-fire investigation. It applies to firefighters, officers, incident commanders, investigators, instructors and chief officers alike. Nobody is exempt because of rank or role. (S1)

The incident commander orders it and does not release a crew until it is done; crews are released as soon as their operational work ends, to limit continued exposure and fatigue. The exposure and contamination control standard requires preliminary exposure reduction and hygiene at the scene before the vehicle returns [(NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 6 and 7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1585), and the health and safety standard requires the department to address fireground toxic contaminants in its program [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 16)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1550).

## 2. Hazards

- Products of combustion on the gear, the skin and the SCBA: occupational exposure as a firefighter is carcinogenic to humans, Group 1 [(IARC, 2023)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-iarc-2023).
- Dermal absorption through the neck, face, jaw, hands and forearms, which continues as long as contaminated gear stays on and off-gasses [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025).
- Secondary exposure during doffing: a hood pulled down around the neck, gloves carried in a bare hand [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025).
- Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and particulate in post-fire atmospheres that look clear [(NFPA 1550, 2024, cl. 16.5.2)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1550).
- Cross-contamination of the crew cab and the station from gear and tools [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025).
- Cold stress and slips at a wet decon area in winter; heat stress in a crew that stays in gear waiting for decon.
- Runoff reaching a watercourse.

## 3. Controls in hierarchy order

| Tier | Control in this task |
|:---|:---|
| Elimination | Not available at the scene; community risk reduction is the elimination control for fires [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025) |
| Substitution | Where life safety allows, exterior water before interior attack has given lower hydrocarbon uptake than interior-only attack [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025); the incident commander’s tactical choice |
| Engineering | Decon kit and dedicated line or sprayer on every front-line apparatus; clean-cab apparatus with exterior gear compartments [(NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 6)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1585); particulate-blocking hoods [(NFPA 1970, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1970) |
| Administrative | This procedure; crew rotation so fresh crews do overhaul and attack crews decon sooner [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025); atmospheric monitoring before SCBA removal; the incident safety officer’s check; the decon log |
| PPE | SCBA kept on through overhaul; nitrile gloves for the decon buddy; the full ensemble stays on until gross decon is done |

## 4. Required PPE and equipment

Full structural ensemble and SCBA on air for the member being decontaminated. Nitrile gloves, eye protection and the member’s own hood or a disposable coverall for the decon buddy. The decon kit (checklist below). A dedicated hose line or the kit’s pump sprayer. Atmospheric monitor for carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, bump tested before the shift. Sealable bags or lidded totes with tags. Clean hoods, one per seated position. Skin-cleansing wipes, at least two per seated position. Waste bags.

**Pre-use checklist: decon kit on every front-line apparatus** (checked on every apparatus check, restocked after every use) (S1)

| Item | Minimum | Check |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Pump sprayer or dedicated line with low-pressure nozzle | One | \[ \] |
| Mild liquid soap in a labelled bottle | One, not expired | \[ \] |
| Soft-bristle brushes | Two | \[ \] |
| Tarp or portable grate for the decon footprint | One | \[ \] |
| Skin-cleansing wipes | Two per seated position | \[ \] |
| Clean hoods in a sealed bag | One per seated position | \[ \] |
| Nitrile gloves | One box | \[ \] |
| Sealable gear bags or lidded totes with tags and marker | One per seated position | \[ \] |
| Waste bags | Four | \[ \] |
| Hand-wash supply (where the apparatus carries water) | Soap, towels | \[ \] |
| This procedure’s step card | One | \[ \] |

## 5. Minimum staffing and competencies

Two members: the member being decontaminated and a decon buddy. The incident commander assigns a decon area and a decon officer at any working fire; at a small department the company officer does both. All members trained on this procedure at recruit level and at the annual refresher with a timed drill; officers trained to run a decon area and complete the decon log ([Decontamination and Contamination Control Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/decontamination-and-contamination-control-program) section 6). (S1)

## 6. Step-by-step procedure

> **Warning: Stop-work triggers**
>
> Stop and tell the officer if: anyone is about to remove a facepiece inside the structure or in the plume before monitoring; the decon area is downwind or in the runoff path; the kit has no hoods or wipes; a member shows signs of heat or cold stress while waiting; the contaminant is a hazardous material, body fluids or unknown (this becomes a hazmat or biological decon under the [Hazardous Materials, CBRN and Energy Hazards Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/hazardous-materials-cbrn-and-energy-hazards-program) or the [Infection Control and Medical Response Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/infection-control-and-medical-response-safety-program)).

1.  **Keep your SCBA on.** Stay on air through overhaul, salvage and investigation inside the structure and in the smoke plume. The health and safety standard requires respiratory protection in any atmosphere that is or may be hazardous, including overhaul [(NFPA 1550, 2024, cl. 9.11.7 and 16.5.2)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1550). **Decision point: the incident commander or the incident safety officer may clear SCBA removal only after the monitor reads carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide below the department’s action levels** set in the [Respiratory Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/respiratory-protection-program). Light smoke is not a reason. (S1)
2.  **Set up the decon area.** The decon officer picks a spot in the warm zone, upwind and uphill of the fire, away from the apparatus cab doors and rehab, with a tarp or grate so runoff is contained and not directed to a storm drain or watercourse. Lay out the kit. Charge the dedicated line or fill the sprayer.
3.  **Come to decon fully dressed and on air.** Do not open your coat, drop your hood or pull off your gloves on the way. Bring your tools; they get rinsed too.
4.  **Gross decon, wet, with soap.** The decon buddy, in nitrile gloves and eye protection, wets you from the helmet down with low pressure. Apply soap. Brush gently with the grain of the fabric: helmet, hood, collar, shoulders, front closure, wristlets, gloves, trousers, boots. Rinse from the top down. Rinse the SCBA harness, cylinder and the outside of the facepiece. Keep the water off the inside of the gear. Two to three minutes per member. (S1)
5.  **Doff in order.** Still in the warm zone. Helmet off and set on the tarp. **Facepiece stays on until after the coat.** Open the coat and remove it by turning it inside out as it comes off, so the dirty side is inside the bundle. Remove gloves last of all the hand-touching steps: peel them off and drop them straight into your bag before you touch anything with a bare hand. Now the SCBA comes off and the facepiece is removed last; the facepiece goes into its own bag [(NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 16)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1850). Take the hood forward and off over your head, never down around your neck [(FSRI, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-fsri-2025). Trousers and boots off onto the tarp.
6.  **Swap your hood.** Put the exposed hood in your gear bag. Take a clean hood from the kit so you have one for the next assignment or the next call. (S1)
7.  **Wipe your skin now.** Within minutes of doffing: one wipe for the neck, throat, jaw, face and behind the ears; a second wipe for the hands and forearms. Soap and water are better if the apparatus carries them. Wipes go in the waste bag. (S1)
8.  **Bag and tag.** Coat, trousers, hood and gloves into a sealable bag or a lidded tote. Tag with your name, station, incident number and date. Helmet and boots wiped down and bagged or placed in a dedicated exterior compartment. The bagged SCBA facepiece and the wiped unit go in an exterior compartment or a sealed bracket, not the cab.
9.  **Rinse the tools.** Hand tools, nozzles, thermal imager case, radio and flashlight get a wipe or a rinse before they go back on the apparatus; full cleaning happens at the station under [SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-post-call-station-decontamination).
10. **Clean cab.** No bagged or unbagged gear, SCBA, tools or hose in the crew compartment [(NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 6)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1585). Ride home in station wear with your clean hood. **Decision point: if the crew must ride in gear** (a vehicle without compartments, a second alarm pending), the officer records the exception on the decon log; gear has had gross decon, hoods are swapped, windows are open, and the cab is wiped at the station.
11. **Release.** The decon officer tells the incident commander when the crew’s decon is complete. The incident commander releases the crew and does not reassign it to another incident until the post-call procedure is done and clean gear is in hand. The incident safety officer checks that this happened.
12. **Investigators, instructors and command staff** do steps 1 to 10 like everyone else. The chief’s vehicle carries wipes and a bag.

**Winter variant.** Wet decon in freezing conditions can cause slips and cold injury. The decon officer sets the area on a dry, gritted surface or inside a heated bay if one is close; limits water to a soap-and-rinse of the hood, collar, gloves and front closure; and gets members into a warm cab in station wear quickly. Where water would freeze on the gear, use dry brushing with the member on air, then bag, and complete wet decon at the station. (S1)

**No-water variant.** Where no water is available (remote wildland, a dry hydrant failure), brush down on air, swap the hood, wipe skin, bag the gear, and record “dry decon only” on the log so the station does the wet step first.

**Volunteer variant.** A crew that will go home from the scene does every step from the apparatus. Bagged gear goes back to the hall in a tote, never into a house or a personal vehicle cab. Shower at home within the hour (see [SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-post-call-station-decontamination)).

## 7. Emergency and contingency

- A member removed the facepiece before monitoring and reports headache, nausea, dizziness or confusion: treat as a carbon monoxide or hydrogen cyanide exposure, remove to fresh air, oxygen by the medical protocol, transport, and file the exposure report.
- Skin or eye contact with runoff or an unknown liquid: flush with water for 15 minutes, report, and let the hazmat officer decide the decon regime.
- Heat or cold stress at the decon line: move the member to rehab, follow the [Firefighter Rehabilitation at Incidents and Training Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/firefighter-rehabilitation-program) thresholds.
- Hazardous material, body fluids or an unknown substance on the gear: stop this procedure, isolate the member and the gear, and hand over to [SWP - Hazmat Entry and Decontamination](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination) or [SWP - Infection Control and Post-Exposure](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-infection-control-and-post-exposure).
- A mayday or a change in fire conditions during decon: the decon buddy stays with the member; the incident commander re-tasks the crew only after they are clean and on fresh air.

## 8. Documentation and reporting

The decon officer completes the [Form - Decontamination Log](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-decontamination-log) for the incident: every exposed member, gross decon done, hood swapped, wipes used, SCBA removal time and the monitor readings, gear bagged, cab exception if any. Every exposed member completes the [Form - Exposure Report](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-exposure-report) before the end of the shift, or within 24 hours for a volunteer, through [SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting); the exposure report feeds the [Occupational Cancer Prevention, Exposure Tracking and Screening Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/occupational-cancer-prevention-exposure-tracking-and-screening-program) [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 16)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-nfpa-1550). The company officer notes the kit items used so the {{Decon Lead}} restocks. A member who had no hood or wipes available, or who rode home in gear, says so on the report; that is a program finding, not a personal fault ([Reason, 1997](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-reason-1997); [Dekker, 2016](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-dekker-2016)). (S1)

## 9. Training and review

Recruit training and an annual refresher with a timed drill using the kit, signed off by the company officer on the program’s competency form. Incident commanders and incident safety officers refresh annually on ordering and checking decon and on the SCBA removal decision. The Protective Clothing, Equipment and Decontamination Program Improvement Team reviews this procedure every 12 months, after any Tier 2 or Tier 3 event involving an exposure, and whenever a learning team finds crews working around a step; the procedure is rewritten from work as done, with the people who do it ([Hollnagel, 2014](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-hollnagel-2014); [Conklin, 2012](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction#ref-conklin-2012)). Safety-sensitive changes go to the {{JOHSC}} before adoption. Signed off by the {{PPE Program Manager}}. (S1)

## 10. Related

[Decontamination and Contamination Control Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/decontamination-and-contamination-control-program) · [Protective Clothing and Equipment Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/protective-clothing-and-equipment-program) · [Policy - Personal Protective Equipment and Contamination Control](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-personal-protective-equipment-and-contamination-control) · [Respiratory Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/respiratory-protection-program) · [Occupational Cancer Prevention, Exposure Tracking and Screening Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/occupational-cancer-prevention-exposure-tracking-and-screening-program) · [SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-post-call-station-decontamination) · [SWP - Bunker Gear Routine Inspection and Cleaning](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-bunker-gear-routine-inspection-and-cleaning) · [SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting) · [Form - Decontamination Log](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-decontamination-log) · [Form - Exposure Report](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-exposure-report) · [Checklist - Decontamination and Contamination Control](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-decontamination-and-contamination-control) · [Incident Investigation and Learning Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/incident-investigation-and-learning-program)

## 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 |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors | The employer’s general duty to take every reasonable precaution, which underpins exposure reduction at the scene | [J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j02-duties-of-employers-supervisors-workers-and-contractors) |
| Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The general PPE duty: PPE adequate for the hazard, maintained by a competent person and inspected before use | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) |
| Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air | The respirator program standard and edition that governs SCBA use through overhaul and decon | [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air) |
| Exposure Limits, Heat and Cold Stress | The basis of the exposure limits, such as the current ACGIH TLVs for carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, behind the SCBA removal action levels | [J22 Exposure Limits, Heat and Cold Stress](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j22-exposure-limits-heat-and-cold-stress) |
| Workers’ Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions | The cancers presumed work-related for firefighters and the qualifying exposure conditions, which the exposure report helps a member show | [J32 Workers' Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j32-workers-compensation-and-firefighter-presumptions) |

## References

Conklin, T. (2012). *Pre-accident investigations: An introduction to organizational safety*. Ashgate.

Dekker, S. (2016). *Just culture: Restoring trust and accountability in your organization* (3rd ed.). CRC Press.

Fire Safety Research Institute \[FSRI\]. (2025). *Hierarchy of contamination controls in the fire service* (presented by G. Horn) \[Conference presentation\]. CPSE Excellence Conference.

Hollnagel, E. (2014). *Safety-I and Safety-II: The past and future of safety management*. Ashgate.

International Agency for Research on Cancer \[IARC\]. (2023). *Occupational exposure as a firefighter* (IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans, Vol. 132; working group met June 2022). <https://monographs.iarc.who.int>

National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety* (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1550-standard-development/1550>

National Fire Protection Association. (2025). *NFPA 1585, Standard for exposure and contamination control* (first edition). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1585-standard-development/1585>

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>

Reason, J. (1997). *Managing the risks of organizational accidents*. Ashgate.