SWP - Diesel Exhaust and Station Zoning

Every start, move and shutdown of an apparatus or other diesel vehicle inside a station; the daily check of the exhaust capture system; and every movement of people, gear, tools and equipment between the station’s zones. It applies at every station, career and volunteer, to members, visitors and contractors, and to any vehicle that runs inside a bay, including mutual aid units and contractors’ trucks. The post-call cleaning sequence is in SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination; this procedure keeps the building clean around it. Diesel exhaust is a Group 1 carcinogen (IARC, 2014). The health and safety standard requires exhaust to be kept out of living and sleeping areas and the station to be divided into areas by likelihood of contamination (NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 12 and cl. 12.5), and the contamination control standard applies the same zones to facilities (NFPA 1585, 2025). Program basis: Facilities and Station Safety Program sections 5.2 and 5.3. (S1)

• Diesel particulate and exhaust gases in the bay, drifting into living, sleeping and office areas. Installed source capture fails to capture when nozzles do not fit tailpipes, airflow is uneven, hoses are left off or apparatus idle in the bay (NIOSH, 2026b).
• Even the short start for the morning check adds substantially to bay particulate when capture is not used (FSRI, 2025).
• Carbon monoxide in dormitories and offices next to bays.
• Contaminated PPE and equipment off-gassing in bays, cabs and gear rooms, and in living areas or personal vehicles if carried there; station dust that holds fireground contaminants (FSRI, 2025).
• Struck-by and caught-between: a hose snagged on a moving unit, release arms, bay doors closing on apparatus or people.
• Trips on hoses and drop lines on the bay floor.

An exhaust drop for every bay position, with a nozzle matched to every unit that uses the bay, reserves included; spare nozzle adaptors; the daily check line on Form - Apparatus Daily and Weekly Check Sheet; the exhaust inspection log (Facilities and Station Safety Program toolkit T2); zone signs and floor marks; gear bags; nitrile gloves; a boot wash and hand-wash point at the red to yellow line; carbon monoxide alarms where the zoning plan calls for them.

Every member who drives or starts apparatus is trained on the station’s system (connect, start, release, shutdown) before driving. The driver connects the hose and checks it; the officer confirms the system at the daily check. Backing in always uses a spotter, and at back-in stations the spotter makes the hose connection at the door. The station officer does the monthly visual. Facilities and its contractor maintain the system and verify capture every year.

1. Walk the bay: zone lines and signs visible; doors between zones close and latch; no PPE outside the gear room; cabs clear of contaminated gear and loose items (clean cab).
2. At each occupied bay position: hose and nozzle intact; nozzle fits the unit’s tailpipe; fan starts when the hose is connected (or on the switch); release free. Record the result on the daily check sheet.
3. Decision point: does every position work? If not, the station goes on the interim control (bay doors fully open before any start; checks and idling done outside; no idling inside), the failed drop is tagged, and the defect is reported on Form - Hazard Report the same day.

4. Connect the hose to the tailpipe before the engine starts, every time, including the morning check and a short reposition.
5. Open the bay door fully and clear the doorway before the unit moves.
6. Start and go. No warm-up idle in the bay. Pump and aerial checks, and any run longer than it takes to leave, are done outside.
7. The hose releases at the door. If it does not, stop and release it by hand from the side; nobody pulls it free with the apparatus.

8. Back in only with a spotter (SWP - Emergency Vehicle Response and Backing). Where the system allows, the spotter connects the hose at the door before the unit backs in; otherwise it is connected the moment the unit stops.
9. Shut the engine down as soon as the unit is in position. The hose stays on until the engine stops, and the fan runs its timed cycle.
10. Close the bay door after shutdown.

11. Red zone (bays, decon room, gear room): PPE, boots, SCBA and fireground tools stay here. No food, drink, smoking or vaping.
12. Back from a call: gear off in the decon area or gear room, bagged if contaminated, hands and face washed at the line, then SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination (shower within the hour after a fire, station wear changed).
13. Yellow zone (transition corridor, laundry, showers, boot wash): members change here, and nothing from the red zone goes further.
14. Green zone (living, kitchen, dormitory, offices, dispatch): no PPE, boots, contaminated tools, hose or SCBA. A member who must cross from red to green changes footwear or uses the boot wash, and washes hands.
15. Doors between zones stay closed. They are never propped open.
16. PPE never goes home, into a personal vehicle, or into a cab for storage.
17. Visitors and contractors are told the zones at orientation and kept out of the red zone unless escorted (Form - Contractor Orientation Checklist).

18. The station officer’s monthly visual: hoses, nozzles, release arms, fan start, signs, door closers, and a pressure check at the bay door (a tissue or smoke pencil shows air moving from the living side toward the bay; a manometer where one is fitted). Record it in the exhaust log.
19. Each year the facilities contractor verifies capture at every bay position and in the nearest green room (smoke test or particulate sampling), confirms living quarters are positive to the bay, and services the system. The report goes in the log; a failed position goes to the Corrective Action Register.

• Carbon monoxide alarm in the station: everyone out to fresh air; shut down any running engine; open the bay doors; check readings with a meter. Anyone with headache, dizziness or nausea is assessed by EMS. No re-entry until readings are normal. Report it as a near miss, or as a Tier 2 event if anyone needed treatment (Incident Investigation and Learning Program).
• Hose caught on a moving unit: the driver stops; nobody stands between the hose and the apparatus; release by hand; inspect the drop before reuse.
• System down for repair: the interim control in step 3 stays in force until the repair is verified, and the station officer tells every crew at shift change.
• Contaminated gear found in a green zone: glove up, bag it, return it to the red zone, wipe what it touched, and report it on Form - Near-Miss and Good-Catch Report so the team can see why it happened.

The daily check line on the apparatus sheet; the exhaust log (monthly visual and annual verification); hazard reports and register entries for every defect; carbon monoxide events and contamination near misses through the learning system. Exhaust and environmental records are kept for the period set in 05 Document Control and Records; the annual verification reports stay with the building file. The station’s exhaust status is part of the Facilities and Stations team’s quarterly update.

All members learn the zones and the exhaust system on joining and refresh them every year; drivers are checked on the system before authorization; station officers learn the monthly check on appointment. The Facilities and Stations team reviews this procedure every year and after any carbon monoxide event or failed verification, starting with a learning-team session on what really happens to the hose at a night call and where gear really goes. Sign-off: the program manager. Consulted: the JOHSC.

• Program: Facilities and Station Safety Program sections 5.2 to 5.4; toolkit T2 and T4.
• Policy: Policy - Facilities.
• Procedures: SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination; SWP - Emergency Vehicle Response and Backing; Decontamination and Contamination Control Program.
• Forms and audit: Form - Apparatus Daily and Weekly Check Sheet; Form - Hazard Report; Form - Station Safety Inspection Checklist (Full); Checklist - Facilities and Station Safety.

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.