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Describe how and why personal protective clothing and equipment is used in one public Service.

By Thomas Davies

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment.

Employers are responsible for providing, replacing and paying for personal protective equipment. (www.hse.gov.uk)
If it fails PPE offers no protection at all. Types Of PPE: o Respirators o Protective gloves o Protective clothing o Protective footwear o Eye protection (www.hse.gov.uk)

PPE should be worn and used at all times, and protects only the wearer, while being worn. (www.hse.gov.uk)

A fire-fighter's Personal Protective Equipment is the same throughout the country. To be effective the components are designed to be worn in combination to provide the fullest protection to the firefighter. (www.myfireshop.com)

Personal Protective Equipment for firefighting includes:


1 x impact resistant helmet with inbuilt visor, safety goggles and torch 2 x flash hood (Balaclava) - flame and heat resistant 2 x tunics - flame and heat resistant 2 x over trousers - flame and heat resistant 1 x pair gloves - flame and heat and puncture resistant Kevlar lined 2 x boots with steel toe caps and steel sole plate

For centuries, fire-fighters have worn helmets to protect them from heat, cinders and falling objects. (www.wikipedia.org) Modern helmets are made from tough fibreglass and are also heatproof. Worn in a fire or carrying out rescue work, a helmet protects the fire-fighter's head from falling objects or banging their head on low beams. At the front of the helmet there is a visor which moves down to protect the fire-fighter's face from the heat and sparks of the fire. The helmet is made in several parts, and pieces can be replaced if one part gets broken. (www.fireoflondon.org.uk)

A Firemans flash hood is a type of balaclava. It is flame and heat resistant so when they are fighting fires it helps protect their face.

Fire fighters jacket is again a thick jacket to protect them form the fire or if they are assisting a car incident it would also protect them from glass or other debris.

Again it is also heat and flame resistant

Again all of the firemans equipment is heat and flame resistant and are all made of a tough material because they are worn everyday and this then protects them form fire and also ant debris in any sort of call they need to attend.

The gloves that the firemen ware are flame and heat resistant. They are also puncture resistant and Kevlar lined so when they are at a Road Traffic Collision for example and they are handling heavy equipment or if they need to cut a roof off a car then the glass wont cut them. Also if they are fighting a fire due to them being heat and flame resistant they wont burn their hands.

Fire fighters boots are a strong leather so nothing can cut them with a strong rubber sole, with a layer of steel in so that it wont melt if you are fighting a fire in a building or standing on a hot or dangerous surface. They also have steel capped toes, so if they are again in a building and they kick something by mistake they wont injure themselves.

A fireman's breathing apparatus is an essential piece of kit when it comes to fighting fires. When it is so intense that they need to enter the building as the air is not breathable and therefore need clean breathable air.

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