SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination

This procedure finishes what the scene started. It applies to every crew returning from a fire, a training burn, a vehicle fire or any call where members worked in the hot or warm zone, and to the gear, SCBA, tools, hose and apparatus they bring back. Within one hour of leaving the scene every exposed member has showered and changed; before the apparatus goes back in service, the gear is cleaned or sent for cleaning, clean replacements are on the rig, and the exposure is logged. The crew is out of service until the officer’s checklist is complete. The exposure and contamination control standard sets the facility, vehicle, PPE and equipment cleaning expectations this procedure meets (NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 5 to 9). (S1)

• Continued dermal and inhalation exposure from gear, skin, hair and station wear after the fire; gear off-gasses, and station dust contains fireground contaminants (FSRI, 2025).
• Cross-contamination of the green zone (kitchen, day room, bunk room) by boots, hose, tools and station wear (NFPA 1550, 2024, cl. 12.5).
• Contaminated SCBA facepieces reused at the next call (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 16).
• Contaminants carried home on station wear or in a personal vehicle.
• Pressure to skip the shower hour because of call volume or a shift change.
• Chemical hazards from cleaning products in the decon area (safety data sheets apply).

Nitrile gloves, eye protection, station wear to change into (every member keeps a spare set at the station). The yellow-zone decon area with a dirty side and a clean side, floor drain, ventilation and a hand-wash sink. Hose and tool wash area with soap, brushes and a dedicated line. The station-wear washer and dryer. Cab-cleaning wipes or the department’s chosen cleaner. Bags and tags. The extractor or the pickup tote for the {{Verified ISP}}. (S1)

The whole returning crew, under the company officer, who owns the checklist and the decon log. All members trained on this procedure at recruit level and at the annual refresher; officers trained on the out-of-service hour, the recorded exception and the exposure report reconciliation (Decontamination and Contamination Control Program section 6). (S1)

1. Back into the bay with the diesel capture connected. Keep the engine running no longer than needed.
2. Drop contaminated gear on the dirty side. Bagged coats, trousers, hoods and gloves from the scene go to the dirty side of the decon area. Helmets and boots go to the tool wash. Nothing crosses the boot boundary into yellow or green.
3. Change out of station wear in the yellow zone. Station wear worn under gear at the fire is contaminated. It goes straight into the station-wear washer, never into the extractor, never into a locker, and never home after a fire exposure (Protective Clothing and Equipment Program element 5.7). (S1)
4. Shower within 60 minutes of leaving the scene. Soap, hair included. Hands and forearms first, then face and neck, then everywhere else. Put on clean station wear. Decision point: the apparatus is out of service for this hour. If the deployment risk requires the unit sooner, the officer records the decision and the reason on the decon log and arranges the shower at the first opportunity. (S1)
5. Send gear for cleaning. Hoods and gloves go to advanced cleaning after every fire exposure. Coats and trousers go to advanced cleaning after every exposure to products of combustion, by the care and maintenance standard (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 6). Load the extractor or the ISP pickup tote; tag every bag. Decision point: routine cleaning only is allowed where the member’s second set is not available and the gear must return to service after a light exposure; the officer records the decision, and the gear still goes to advanced cleaning at the next opportunity (SWP - Bunker Gear Routine Inspection and Cleaning).
6. Draw clean gear. The member takes their second set or a loaner that fits from the pool. The member checks it with the routine inspection card before it goes on the rig.
7. SCBA and facepiece. Clean and disinfect the facepiece by the manufacturer’s method; clean the regulator exterior, harness and cylinder; inspect and return to service. Contaminated units stay on the dirty side until cleaned. Full steps are in SWP - SCBA Daily and After-Use Inspection and Cleaning under the Respiratory Protection Program (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 16).
8. Tools, hose and ladders. In nitrile gloves and eye protection, wash hand tools, nozzles, appliances and saws with soap and water in the tool wash; wipe thermal imagers, radios, flashlights and hand lights with the manufacturer-approved cleaner; wash hose that was in the structure and hang it to dry before reloading; wash ladders used inside or in the plume. Rope that was exposed goes to the rope program for a decision (NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 9). Dry everything before it goes back on the apparatus.
9. Cab wipe-down. Wipe seats, floor, handles, headsets, radios, mobile data terminal, steering wheel and door panels with the department’s cleaner after every fire. Record any cab exception from the scene and deep-clean the cab after a heavy exposure (NFPA 1585, 2025, ch. 6).
10. Wash hands, then eat. Nobody eats or drinks before step 4 is done.
11. Exposure report. Every exposed member completes the Form - Exposure Report before the end of the shift, or within 24 hours for a volunteer, through SWP - Exposure Reporting: incident, role and zone, time in the hot and warm zones, SCBA on and off and whether worn through overhaul, suspected agents, decon done (gross decon, hood swap, wipes, shower within 60 minutes), symptoms, gear exchanged (NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 16). The report feeds the Occupational Cancer Prevention, Exposure Tracking and Screening Program.
12. Officer’s after-use checklist. The officer completes the checklist below and the Form - Decontamination Log, restocks the decon kit from the station supply, and tells dispatch the unit is available. The crew returns to service only when every line is checked or the exception is recorded. (S1)

After-use checklist: officer’s post-call decontamination (one per returning apparatus per fire)

Volunteer home-shower variant. A hall without a shower adopts a written alternative: change out of station wear at the hall or the scene into clean clothes from your bag; drive home; shower within the hour; never carry bagged gear into the house or ride with it in the cab of a personal vehicle. Bagged gear stays at the hall in the tote for the pickup route. The officer records the alternative on the log. (S1)

• Back-to-back calls before the shower hour: the officer records the exception, members ride in clean station wear with clean hoods and gloves, and the shower happens on return; the shower is not skipped, only delayed.
• The extractor is down or the ISP pickup is missed: gear stays bagged on the dirty side; the {{PPE Coordinator}} is called the same day; members use their second set or loaners; nobody takes contaminated gear to a call.
• No loaner fits: the member is not assigned to interior work until clean gear that fits is available; the gap is reported through the member’s concern route (Protective Clothing and Equipment Program section 11).
• Symptoms after the call (headache, nausea, cough, rash, eye irritation): tell the officer, get medical assessment by the department’s protocol, record on the exposure report.
• Hazardous material, body fluids or an unknown substance found on gear at the station: isolate, tag, and move to specialized cleaning; file the exposure report; consult the hazmat officer or the medical officer.

The Form - Decontamination Log and the officer’s after-use checklist for every fire; the Form - Exposure Report for every exposed member; cleaning entries on the Form - PPE Cleaning and Repair Log for every ensemble sent to advanced cleaning; the cab deep-clean record monthly. The {{Health and Safety Officer}} reconciles exposure reports against working fire reports monthly; the {{JOHSC}} reviews the exposure log trends annually. A member who could not shower, had no clean gear or did not file the report says so; the gap is a program finding, logged in the Corrective Action Register, never a personal fault (Reason, 1997; Dekker, 2016). (S1)

Recruit training and the annual refresher, with a walk-through of the station’s zones and the officer’s checklist. Officers refresh on the out-of-service hour and the exposure report reconciliation. 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 a step being worked around; the procedure is rewritten with the crews who do it (Hollnagel, 2014; Conklin, 2012). Safety-sensitive changes go to the {{JOHSC}} before adoption. Signed off by the {{PPE Program Manager}}. (S1)

Decontamination and Contamination Control Program · Protective Clothing and Equipment Program · Policy - Personal Protective Equipment and Contamination Control · Respiratory Protection Program · Occupational Cancer Prevention, Exposure Tracking and Screening Program · Facilities and Station Safety Program · SWP - On-Scene Preliminary Exposure Reduction · SWP - Bunker Gear Routine Inspection and Cleaning · SWP - Bunker Gear Advanced and Specialized Cleaning and Repair · SWP - SCBA Daily and After-Use Inspection and Cleaning · SWP - Exposure Reporting · Form - Decontamination Log · Form - Exposure Report · Form - PPE Cleaning and Repair Log · Checklist - Decontamination and Contamination Control · Incident Investigation and Learning Program

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.