As a few people have said that they would and do wear non standard PPE that hasnt been approved by CFS . Their call or is it ? Does the officer in charge of the appliance, bare some responsibility for ensuring that "correct" PPE is worn by the crew under his direction ? Yes, it may meet or exceed CFS standards, but is it fair to put the officer in charge of the appliance / incident controller in a position ,where they could be compromised by your actions if things go tits up and its found that the non CFS approved PPE is a contributing factor !
As a Captain or Group Officer would you knowingly let your brigade/s use non standard, unapproved equipment, PBI gold it can be argued is the best possible protection against radiant heat in a bushfire ,it certainly exceeds the standard of level 1 clothing, but to use it for extended periods, could be putting yourself at risk.
The point I am trying badly to make is that, assuming that because non approved PPE/EQUIPMENT exceed a given standard, they are automatically suitable for any incident that you perceive to be, below the risk factors associated with that incident. God forbid it ever ends up in a court with some limp dic k lawyer questioning you about your qualifications in dynamic PPE risk assesment for non approved items, is it worth the heart ache?.
If its needed , go through the right channels, seek its approval, argue the case , seek clarification , dont put other people in compromising situations.
Cheers Jaff
