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RESOLUTION URGING THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION TO REVIEW AND AMEND STANDARD 1851 TO PROVIDE THAT THE SERVICE LIFE OF FIRE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IS BASED ON OBJECTIVE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS THAT CORRELATE TO THE CAPACITY OF THE EQUIPMENT TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS DURING ITS INTENDED USE, NOT MANUFACTURE DATE; AND, ALTERNATIVELY, URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO DIRECT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH TO EXPEDITE RESEARCH ON THE SERVICE LIFE OF FIRE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND OBJECTIVE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS THAT CORRELATE TO THE CAPACITY OF SUCH CLOTHING TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS DURING ITS INTENDED USE [SEE ORIGINAL ITEM UNDER FILE NO. 181741]

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WHEREAS, the National Fire Protection Association (�NFPA�) Standard 1851 pertains to the service life of firefighting personal protective equipment, which includes helmets, boots, coats and pants (�fire protective clothing� or �bunker gear�); and
WHEREAS, NFPA 1851 requires retirement of all fire protective clothing no later than [[ten]]1 >>10<< years from its manufacture date, except for proximity shells, which must be retired five years from the date of manufacture; and
WHEREAS, specifically, NFPA Standard 1851 requires retirement of fire protective clothing based on the manufacture date and without consideration of: (1) actual use; (2) adherence to cleaning, service or storage protocols; (3) compliance with applicable specifications; (4) whether the integrity of such clothing has been compromised; or (5) if the bunker gear continues to meet applicable specifications for safe use; and
WHEREAS, the practice of retiring structurally competent fire protective clothing, solely on the grounds of manufacture date, is inefficient and fiscally unsound; and
WHEREAS, nonetheless, as a direct result of NFPA Standard 1851 and in an effort to avoid perceived liability for noncompliance with the Standard and resulting litigation, some fire departments declare countless sets of bunker gear obsolete, some of which had never been worn or were only lightly used; and
WHEREAS, additionally, because of the mandatory retirement date, fire departments are prohibited from donating new fire protective clothing to volunteer fire departments or other local governments within the United States if the retirement date for such clothing has expired; and
WHEREAS, in lieu of the ten-year retirement requirement promulgated in NFPA Standard 1851, annual inspections to evaluate the condition of fire protective clothing and whether said clothing complies with technical specifications for use should determine whether a department can retain or must dispose of such equipment; and
>>WHEREAS, on July 16, 2018, the National Association of Counties� (�NACo�) Board of Directors adopted a resolution urging Congress to support efforts to correlate the service life of bunker gear with the integrity and capacity of such gear to protect firefighters; and<<
WHEREAS, this Board encourages the development of standards that regulate fire protective clothing, which link the service life of fire protective clothing to the integrity of the clothing and the clothing�s ability to meet all technical specifications for use and to protect fire fighters in service,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the National Fire Protection Association to review and amend Standard 1851 to provide that the service life of fire protective clothing is based on objective technical specifications that correlate to the capacity of the equipment to protect firefighters during its intended use, not manufacture date.
Section 2. Alternatively, urges the United States Congress to >>direct the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to expedite research on<< [[enact legislation that governs]] the service life of fire protective clothing and [[uses]] objective technical specifications that correlate to the capacity of such clothing to protect firefighters during its intended use[[, if the National Fire Protection Association fails to amend Standard 1851 before July 30, 2019]].
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, the Chair and members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and the Chair and President/CEO of the National Fire Protection Association.

1 The differences between the substitute and the original item are indicated as follows: Words stricken through and/or [[double bracketed]] shall be deleted, words underscored and/or >>double arrowed<< are added.