Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4123:1 - Division of Safety and Hygiene › Chapter 4123:1-21 - Fire Fighting › Section 4123:1-21-01 - Scope and definitions

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Scope.
The purpose of Chapter 4123:1-21 of the Administrative Code
				(hereinafter "this chapter") is to provide reasonable safety for life, limb,
				and health of employees.
The requirements of this chapter are minimum requirements of an
				employer for the protection of such employer's employees and no others, and
				constitute protective standards for all regular members of lawfully constituted
				fire departments of municipal corporations and townships, whether paid or
				volunteer, and employees employed in private or contractual-type fire
				departments that serve the public, who are engaged in the act of fire fighting.
				The requirements of this chapter do not apply to employees employed in
				industrial fire brigades, industrial fire departments, and private or
				contractual-type fire departments that do not serve the public. To the extent
				that any other codes of specific requirements adopted by the bureau of workers'
				compensation may conflict with the requirements of this chapter, this chapter
				shall prevail.
In cases of practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship, the
				administrator of the bureau of workers' compensation may grant exemptions from
				the literal provisions of these requirements or permit the use of other devices
				or methods when, in the opinion of the administrator, equivalent protection is
				thereby secured.
Unless otherwise indicated, materials or equipment bought or
				contracted for prior to the effective date of any requirement of this chapter
				shall be deemed to comply with the provisions of these requirements, if such
				materials or equipment complies either with the provisions of these
				requirements or with the provisions of any applicable specific requirement that
				was in effect at the time contracted for or bought.
(B) Definitions.
(1) "Aerial device": An aerial ladder,
			 elevating platform, aerial 
									fire apparatus, or water tower that is designed
			 to position personnel, handle materials, provide egress, and discharge
			 water.
(2) "Aerial ladder": A
			 self-supporting, turntable-mounted, power-operated ladder of two or more
			 sections permanently attached to a self-propelled automotive fire apparatus and
			 designed to provide a continuous egress route from an elevated platform to the
			 ground.
(3) "Aerial ladder
			 platform": 
									a vehicle equipped with an aerial ladder, elevating
			 platform, or water tower that is designed and equipped to support fire fighting
			 and rescue operations by positioning personnel, handling materials, providing
			 continuous egress, or discharging water at positions elevated from the
			 ground.
(4) "Air flow control
			 device": a manual or automatic device incorporated in the air flow system of a
			 self-contained breathing apparatus to control the free flow of air to the face
			 piece during donning or doffing.
(5) "Angle of approach": the smallest angle
			 made between the road surface and a line drawn from the front point of ground
			 contact of the front tire to any projection of the apparatus in front of the
			 front axle.
(6) "Angle of
			 departure": the smallest angle made between the road surface and a line drawn
			 from the rear point of ground contact of the rear tire to any projection of the
			 apparatus behind the rear axle.
(7)
			 "Attack hose": hose designed to be used to combat fires beyond the incipient
			 stage to supply handline nozzles, distributor nozzles, master stream
			 appliances, portable hydrants, manifolds, standpipe and sprinkler systems,
			 pumps, and fire department pumpers.
(8) "Attic extension ladder": an extension
			 ladder that is specifically designed to be used to gain entry through a
			 scuttle, hatch, or other restricted opening.
(9) "Base (bed) section": the lowest, or
			 widest, section of non-self-supporting ground ladders.
(10) "Basic plane": the plane through the
			 centers of the external ear openings and the lower edges of the eye sockets of
			 a human head.
(11) "Beam (side
			 rail)": the main structural side of a ground ladder.
(12) "Bedded position": the position in which
			 fly section(s) of extension ladders are stored in the nonextended position with
			 the pawls resting on a rung of the supporting section.
(13) "Booster hose": a hose having a rubber
			 tube, a braided or spiraled reinforcement, and an outer protective cover. It is
			 intended for use on fire apparatus.
(14) "Braided hose": a nonwoven rubber hose
			 manufactured by braiding one or more layers of yarn, each separated by a rubber
			 layer over a rubber tube and encased in a rubber cover. Usually manufactured
			 for use as booster hose in sizes up to one and one-half inches.
(15) "Butt": the end of the beam placed on
			 the ground or other lower support surface when ground ladders are in the raised
			 position. It may be the lower end of beams or added devices.
(16) "Butt spurs (foot)": that component of
			 ground ladder support which is in contact with the lower support surface to
			 reduce slippage. It may be the lower end of beams or added devices.
(17) "Certification organization": an
			 independent, third-party organization that determines product compliance with
			 the requirements of NFPA standards with a labeling/listing/follow-up
			 program.
(18) "Char":
			 
									the
			 formation of a brittle residue when material is exposed to thermal
			 energy.
(19) "Chin strap": an
			 adjustable strap fitting under the chin to secure the helmet to the
			 head.
(20) "Coat": a garment worn
			 to protect the upper part of the body except the hands and head.
			 Also referred to as "protective coat" in this chapter
			 of the Administrative Code.
(21) "Combination ladder": a ground ladder
			 capable of being used both as a step ladder and single or extension
			 ladder.
(22) "Coronal plane": the
			 plane, perpendicular to the basic and mid-sagittal planes, which passes through
			 the centers of the external ear openings of a human head.
(23) "Crown straps": the part of a suspension
			 that passes over the head.
(24)
			 "Dangerous to life or health": conditions that pose a threat to life or health,
			 or conditions that pose a threat of severe exposure to contaminants, such as
			 radioactive materials, which are likely to have adverse cumulative or delayed
			 effects on health.
(25) "Ear
			 covers": 
									an interface component of
			 the protective helmet element that provides limited protection to the
			 helmet/coat interface area.
(26) "Elevating platform": a self-supporting,
			 turntable-mounted device consisting of a personnel-carrying platform attached
			 to the uppermost boom of a series of power-operated booms that articulate,
			 telescope, or both.
(27) "Energy
			 absorbing system": a material or suspension system, or combination thereof,
			 incorporated into the design of a helmet to attenuate impact energy.
(28) "Escape rope": a single-purpose
			 emergency self-escape/self-rescue rope. It has a diameter of 0.295 inch ( 7.5
			 mm) or greater and less than three-eighths inch ( 9.5 mm).
(29) "Extension ladder": a
			 non-self-supporting ground ladder adjustable in length. It consists of two or
			 more sections traveling in guides, brackets, or equivalent, so arranged as to
			 permit length adjustment.
(30)
			 "Face/neck shroud": an item of wildland protective clothing that attaches to
			 the helmet to provide minimum thermal protection to the face and neck
			 area.
(31) "Faceshield": limited
			 protection for the face, eyes, or portions thereof.
(32) "Factor of safety": the ratio between
			 the ultimate breaking stress and the working stress of the material, structure,
			 or device.
(33) "Fire apparatus":
			 the emergency vehicle(s) of the fire department used for fire
			 suppression.
(34) "Fire shelter":
			 an item of protective equipment configured as an aluminized tent to reflect
			 radiant heat in a fire entrapment situation.
(35) "Flame resistance": the property of a
			 material whereby the application of a flaming or nonflaming source of ignition
			 and the subsequent removal of the ignition source results in the termination of
			 combustion.
(36) "Fluorescence": a
			 process by which radiant energy of certain wavelengths is absorbed and
			 reradiated nonthermally in other, longer wavelengths.
(37) "Fly section": the upper section(s) of
			 an extension ladder. The first section above the base section is the first fly
			 section; the second section above the base section is the second fly section;
			 etc.
(38) "Folding ladder": a
			 single ladder designed so that the rungs can be folded or moved in a manner to
			 allow the beams to be brought into a position of touching each other, or nearly
			 touching each other, for storage or carrying purposes.
(39) "Gauntlet": the circular, flared, or
			 otherwise expanded part of the glove that extends beyond the opening of the
			 glove body.
(40) "Goggles": the
			 helmet component intended to help protect the wearer's eyes and a portion of
			 the face.
(41) "Gross axle weight
			 rating (GAWR)": the value specified as the load-carrying rating of a single
			 axle system, as measured at the tire ground interfaces.
(42) "Gross combination weight rating
			 (GCWR)": the value specified as the loaded weight of a combination
			 vehicle.
(43) "Gross vehicle weight
			 rating (GVWR)": the value specified by the chassis manufacturer as the loaded
			 weight rating of a single vehicle.
(44) "Ground ladder": ladders not
			 mechanically or physically attached permanently to fire apparatus and not
			 requiring mechanical power from the apparatus for ladder use and
			 operation.
(45) "Halyard": rope
			 used on extension ladders for the purpose of raising the fly section(s). A wire
			 cable may be referred to as a halyard when used on the uppermost fly section(s)
			 of three or four section extension ladders.
(46) "Hazardous atmosphere":
(a) Any atmosphere containing a toxic or
			 disease-producing gas, vapor, dust, fume, or mist dangerous to the life or
			 health or where the concentration is unknown.
(b) Any atmosphere containing an oxygen
			 partial pressure of less than 19.5 per cent by volume at sea level.
(47) "Hazardous environment": the
			 area where members might be exposed to a particular substance, device, event,
			 circumstance, or condition that presents a danger to members of the fire
			 department.
(48) "Headband": the
			 portion of a suspension that encircles the head.
(49) "Headform": a test device that conforms
			 to the configuration of the human head.
(50) "Heat sensor label": a label that turns
			 color at a preset temperature to indicate a specific heat exposure.
(51) "Inside ladder width": the distance
			 measured from the inside edge of one beam to the inside edge of the opposite
			 beam.
(52) "Insole": that part of
			 protective footwear next to the bottom of the foot designed to afford support
			 and padding.
(53) "Ladder belt": a
			 belt intended for use as a positioning device for a person on a ladder. It
			 fastens around the waist only.
(54)
			 "Ladder/escape belt": a belt intended as both a ladder belt and an escape belt
			 for use by the wearer only as an emergency self-rescue device. It fastens
			 around the waist only.
(55) "Ladder
			 shank": reinforcement to the shank area of protective footwear designed to
			 provide additional support to the instep when standing on a ladder
			 rung.
(56) "Large-diameter hose":
			  hose of three and
			 one-half-inch diameter or larger used to move large volumes of water.
(57) "Life safety harness": harness used to
			 support persons during fire service rescue.
(a) Class I: harness that fastens around the
			 waist and around thighs or under buttocks; designed to be used for emergency
			 escape with a design load of three hundred lbf.
(b) Class II: harness that fastens around the
			 waist and around the thighs or under the buttocks; designed for rescue with a
			 design load of six hundred lbf.
(c)
			 Class III: harness that fastens around the waist, around the thighs or under
			 the buttocks, and over the shoulders; designed for rescue with a design load of
			 six hundred lbf that may be encountered and where inverting may
			 occur.
(58) "Life safety
			 rope": rope dedicated solely to the purpose of constructing lines for
			 supporting persons during fire rescue, fire fighting, or during training
			 activity.
(a) "
										Light technical
			 use": rope having a diameter of three-eighths inch ( 9.5 mm) or greater
			 and less than one-half inch (thirteen mm).
(b) "General use": rope having a diameter of
			 one-half inch (thirteen mm) or greater and not more than five-eighths inch
			 (sixteen mm).
(59)
			 "Lining": a material or material assemblage attached to the inside of the outer
			 shell for the purpose of thermal protection and padding.
(60) "Maximum extended length": the total
			 length of the extension ladder when all fly sections are fully extended and
			 pawls engaged.
(61) "Mid-sagittal
			 plane": the plane, perpendicular to the basic and coronal planes, which
			 symmetrically bisects the head.
(62) "Moisture barrier": that material used
			 to prevent or substantially inhibit the transfer of water, corrosive liquids,
			 and steam and other hot vapors from the outside of the garment to the wearer's
			 body.
(63) "Optical warning
			 device": a manufactured assembly of a single optical light emitter or a fixed
			 array of any number of optical light emitters.
(64) "Outer shell": the outside material of
			 the garment, except trim.
(65)
			 "Outside ladder width": the distance measured from the outside edge of one beam
			 to the outside edge of the opposite beam, or the widest point of the ladder
			 including staypoles when provided, whichever is greater.
(66) "P.A.S.S.": acronym for personal alert
			 safety system. Devices that sense movement or lack of movement, and that
			 automatically activate an audible alarm signal (which also can be manually
			 activated) to alert and to assist others in locating a firefighter who is in
			 danger.
(67) "Pawls": devices
			 attached to fly sections for the purpose of anchoring fly sections, when
			 extension ladders are used in the extended position. Pawls engage ladder rungs
			 near the beams for anchoring purposes.
(68) "Permanent deformation (set):" that
			 deformation remaining in any part of a ladder or its components after all test
			 loads have been removed from the ladder.
(69) "Pompier ladder (scaling ladder)": a
			 ladder having a single center beam only and with a large hook on top, used for
			 scaling.
(70) "Prescribed fire":
			 any fire ignited by management actions under certain predetermined conditions
			 to meet specific land management objectives.
(71) "Protective hood": a garment worn under
			 a helmet to protect the exposed portions of the head, face, and neck.
(72) "Protective toecap": reinforcement to
			 the toe area of protective footwear. Toecaps are designed to protect the toes
			 from impact and compression.
(73)
			 "PTO": power takeoff.
(74)
			 "Puncture-resistant plate": reinforcement to the bottom of protective footwear
			 located between the sole with heel and the insole, designed to resist
			 puncture.
(75) "Qualitative
			  fit test": 
									an assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit by
			 numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the
			 respirator.
(76) "Reference
			 plane": the plane 2.36 plus or minus 0.04 inches above and parallel to the
			 basic plane.
(77)
									"Rehabilitation" : An intervention
			 designed to mitigate against the physical, physiological, and emotional stress
			 of fire fighting in order to sustain a member's energy, improve performance,
			 and decrease the likelihood of on-scene injury or death.
(78) "Retention system": the complete
			 assembly by which a helmet is retained in position on the head.
(79) "Retroreflective markings": material
			 that reflects and returns a relatively high proportion of light in a direction
			 close to the direction from which it came.
(80) "Roof ladder": a single ladder equipped
			 with hooks at the top end of the ladder.
(81) "Rungs": the ladder crosspieces on which
			 a person steps while ascending or descending.
(82) "Seams, Major A": outermost layer seam
			 assemblies where rupture could reduce the protection of the garment by exposing
			 the inner layers such as moisture barrier, thermal barrier, the wearer's
			 station/work uniform, other clothing, or skin.
(83) "Seams, Major B": moisture barrier or
			 thermal barrier seam assemblies where rupture could reduce the protection of
			 the garment by exposing the next layer of the garment, the wearer's
			 station/work uniform, other clothing, or skin.
(84) "Seams, Minor": seams that are not
			 classified as "Major A" or "Major B" seams.
(85) "Self-contained breathing apparatus
			 (SCBA)": a device providing the wearer with a supply of respirable gas carried
			 in or generated by the apparatus. When in use, this apparatus requires no
			 intake of air from the environment in which the wearer is operating.
(a) "Closed circuit SCBA": an apparatus of
			 the type in which the exhalation is rebreathed by the wearer after the carbon
			 dioxide has been effectively removed and a suitable oxygen concentration
			 restored.
(b) "Open circuit SCBA":
			 an apparatus of the following types from which exhalation is vented to the
			 atmosphere and not rebreathed:
(i) "Demand
			 type": an apparatus in which the pressure inside the facepiece, in relation to
			 the immediate environment, is positive during exhalation and negative during
			 inhalation (prohibited by rule
			 4123:1-21-02
			 of the Administrative Code).
(ii)
			 "Pressure demand (positive pressure) type": an apparatus in which the pressure
			 inside the facepiece, in relation to the immediate environment, is positive
			 during both inhalation and exhalation.
(86) "Service tests": tests to be performed
			 on a regular basis after a ground ladder is in service to determine its
			 suitability for service.
(87)
			 "Shall": to be construed as mandatory.
(88) "Shell": the outermost part of a
			 helmet.
(89) "Single jacket": a
			 construction of fire hose consisting of one woven jacket.
(90) "Single ladder": a non-self-supporting
			 ground ladder, non-adjustable in length, consisting of only one
			 section.
(91) "Split shaft PTO": a
			 power takeoff (PTO) drive system that directs the chassis power either to the
			 pump or to the chassis drive axle. This is accomplished by splitting the
			 chassis driveline that connects the chassis transmission to the drive axle and
			 inserting the split shaft PTO that has the shift mechanism necessary to direct
			 the engine power as described above.
(92) "Stabilizer": a device integral with or
			 separately attached to the chassis of an aerial fire apparatus that is used to
			 increase the moments tending to resist overturning the apparatus.
(a) "Stabilizer pad": a plate inserted
			 beneath a stabilizer shoe to give greater surface bearing area.
(b) "Stabilizer shoe": a permanently mounted
			 shoe on a stabilizer to provide a ground surface area.
(93) "Station/work uniforms": garments worn
			 under protective clothing, consisting of trousers, shirts, jackets, or
			 coveralls, but excluding underwear socks, dress uniforms, or
			 outerwear.
(94) "Staypoles
			 (tormentors)": poles attached to each beam of the base section of extension
			 ladders and used to assist in the raising of the ladder and to help provide
			 stability to the raised ladder.
(95) "Structural fire fighting": the physical
			 activity of fire rescue, fire suppression, or both, at buildings, enclosed
			 structures, vehicles, vessels, or like properties that are involved in a fire
			 or a situation where there is the potential for fire.
(96) "Suction, hard": a rubber-lined,
			 rubber-covered hose whose reinforcement contains a semi-rigid or rigid helix to
			 resist collapse under vacuum.
(97)
			 "Suction, soft": collapsible hose used to supply pumpers from
			 hydrants.
(98) "Supply hose": hose
			 of three and one-half inch diameter or larger
			 designed for the purpose of moving water between a pressurized water source and
			 a pump that is supplying attack lines.
(99) "Suspension": an energy attenuating
			 system made up of headband and crown straps.
(100) "Thermal barrier": the portion of
			 protective ensemble element composites that is designed to provide thermal
			 protection.
(101) "Thermal
			 protective performance": measurement of the amount of heat transfer through the
			 protective ensemble from a thermal exposure equal to flashover conditions that
			 results in second degree burn damage to the wearer's skin as related to the
			 time of heat exposure.
(102)
			 "Throwline": a floating one-person rope that is intended to be thrown to a
			 person during water rescues or as a tether for rescuers entering the
			 water.
(103) "Tip": the end of the
			 beam opposite the ladder butt.
(104) "Total heat loss": measurement of the
			 amount of heat transfer through the protective ensemble from heat that is
			 generated by the wearer's body.
(105) "Trim": a tape material permanently
			 attached to the outer shell for visibility enhancement.
(106) "Trouser": a garment worn to protect
			 the lower part of the body, except the feet. Also
			 referred to as "protective trousers" in this chapter of the Administrative
			 Code.
(107) "Ultimate
			 failure": collapse of a ground ladder structure or component thereof.
(108) "Unlined hose": a hose, usually made of
			 linen yarns, consisting of only the woven jacket and having such qualities that
			 the yarn of the jacket swells when wetted, tending to seal the hose.
(109) "Upper": that part of the protective
			 footwear including but not limited to the toe, vamp, quarter, shaft, collar,
			 and throat; and other than the sole with heel, puncture-resistant plate, and
			 insole.
(110) "Water hammer": the
			 surge of pressure caused when a high velocity flow of water is abruptly shut
			 off. The pressure exerted by the flowing water against the closed system can be
			 seven times or more than the static pressure.
(111) "Water tower": a device consisting of
			 permanently mounted, power-operated booms and a waterway designed to supply a
			 large capacity mobile elevated water stream. The booms may be of articulating
			 design or telescoping design and may be equipped with a ladder.
(112) "Wildland fire fighting": the
			 activities of fire suppression and property conservation in woodlands, forests,
			 grasslands, brush, prairies, and other such vegetation, or any combination of
			 vegetation.
(113) "Working
			 structural fire": any fire that requires the use of a one and one-half inch or
			 larger fire attack hose line and that also requires the use of self-contained
			 breathing apparatus for members entering the hazardous area.
(114) "Wristlet": an attachment, fitted to
			 the top of a glove or to the sleeve of a protective coat, to completely cover
			 the wrist area under all conditions.