EMS Personal Protective Equipment
SOP
EMS Personal Protective Equipment – PPE
Adopted - March 2020
Ref WAC 296-305-2501
EMS operations may involve exposure to Potentially Infectious Material (PIM). Follow the District Exposure Control Plan to assist and provide general guidance and post incident operations.
Minimum PPE required for EMS operations will be the following:
- Blue EMS coveralls
- Safety glasses
- NITRILE gloves (no Latex) - disposable
Structural and wildland PPE should be avoided unless crews are already in this PPE from another response or EMS operations are initiated while already in these ensembles.
Additional protection shall be used when airborne or bloodborne PIM is suspected. This may be alerted by:
- Dispatch with an advisory of an A condition or B condition on site.
- Current flu or virus outbreak
- Obvious conditions that warrant additional PPE
Additional PPE will include but not limited to
- TYVEK coveralls - disposable
- N95 face masks – disposable
Obviously contaminated or highly suspected PPE must be wiped down with cleaning wipes located on the apparatus, before getting back into the apparatus.
- Disposable equipment can be double bagged in red trash bag, place in an outside compartment, and taken to Island hospital for disposal.
- Reusable equipment shall be bagged and placed in an outside compartment for cleaning at station
Remove PPE to prevent exposure shall be in this order:
- Remove gloves – use hand wipes post removal, replace with new gloves
- Remove protective coveralls or gown by turning inside out, place in disposable bag if TYVEK or separate bag if blue coveralls
- Wipe down gloves with cleaning wipes, remove safety glasses and wipe down
- Remove mask, then gloves and place in bag with disposables.
