The following was first published on the NFPA blog.
By Chris Dubay
In my continuing effort to keep interested parties apprised of the latest standards activity related to firefighting gear and conversations about the presence of PFAS, I am providing an update on what has transpired since my previous blog, a year ago.
NFPA 1970 is a new standard combining four existing standards into one. While there are many updates to NFPA 1970 which have been outlined in my previous blogs as well as below, through the final text of NFPA 1970 the technical committee included the following key provisions related to PFAS and other chemicals in firefighter turnout gear and related testing requirements:
- Establishment of a Restricted Substances list and associated requirements.
- A light resistance test is included in the standard, and it has been modified so that the light is applied to the garment composite. The composite comprises all three layers: thermal barrier, moisture barrier, and outer shell.
- A test method is included for manufacturers wishing to label their products as having low total fluorine content.
The last stages of the NFPA standards development process
In the final stage of the process, NFPA 1970 was the subject of 11 certified amending motions at the 2024 Technical Meeting in Orlando, Florida. However, only one motion was moved at the meeting, and it failed. Therefore, the Second Draft was forwarded to the Standards Council for issuance.
At the same time, the committees responsible for NFPA 1970 processed and approved 11 tentative interim amendments (TIA) that were issued by the Standards Council concurrently with the standard.
The TIAs resulted in the following additional changes to the Second Draft of NFPA 1970:
- The deadline for compliance with the standard was changed from 18 months to 12 months for both turnout gear and work apparel. (5.2.4-5.2.5, 10.2.4-10.2.5)
- A light degradation resistance test was reintroduced with modifications that require the composite, rather than the moisture barrier alone, to be exposed to ultraviolet light before removing the moisture barrier for testing. (9.4.10)
- The optional “PFAS-FREE” labeling was changed to remove the words “PFAS-FREE” and instead indicate a maximum total fluorine concentration. In support of this change, a definition of “total fluorine” was added. (6.1.7.5, 9.10.2, 3.3.220)
- The list of restricted substances and test methods to measure them were updated and refined. (8.21, 9.10.1)
- Several corrections and other editorial improvements were incorporated throughout the standard.
I encourage all interested stakeholders to review the entire new document as NFPA 1970 is the result of combining four standards into one new document and there are updates and changes throughout the entire document. NFPA 1970 is available now in NFPA LiNK® or with free access at nfpa.org/1970 and will be available in print soon.
Note: Any opinion expressed in this column (blog, article) is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the official position of NFPA or its Technical Committees. In addition, this piece is neither intended, nor should it be relied upon, to provide professional consultation or services.
About the author
Chris Dubay is the NFPA vice president of engineering and chief engineer.