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Subject: Re: Glove use in academic teaching labs
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:54:11 -0400
Author: Mary Cavanaugh 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching labs
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:38:01 -0700
Author: Janan Hayes


Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:31:12 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: Extinguishers

From: 	rj**At_Symbol_Here**strem.com
Subject: 	RE: [DCHAS-L] Extinguishers
Date: 	August 12, 2009 10:03:56 AM EDT

There are a lot of different regulations that we all have to abide by,
and they can be very confusing as to which ones to follow. Being a
firefighter, I can tell you that Debbie is correct when it comes to Fire
Code.  Your local/state fire marshal's office decides the regulations,
but that does not mean if you have fire extinguishers present to ignore
OSHA regulations.

> From a firefighter's standpoint, when it comes to fires in a lab, we
never like to see anyone try to extinguish a fire. The reasoning for
this is, the student/employee does not have on the correct PPE on to try
to fight a fire. Working with chemicals we know that a fire can get out
of control very quickly, and we don't want anyone getting caught in a
situation like that without firefighter experience, proper training, or
correct PPE.

After that being said fire extinguishers still belong in the lab. The
main propose of a fire extinguisher is for defensive use. Meaning, if
there was a fire that blocked the exits of a room, a fire extinguisher
should be available to use to assure the safe exit of everyone from the
room/building.  So, I completely disagree with the removal of the fire
extinguishers from the facility, your lab needs to have training at
least once a year, and ask the fire department for help with the
training. Fire extinguishers are a life safety tool and they should be
present!

You should also check with your local fire department to see if the
community has adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
standards. If they have adopted them then you would want to get NFPA 10
Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers.

Best regards,

R.J. Wolcik

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