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OSHA Regulations for Volunteer Fire Departments

Regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration apply to volunteer fire departments. According to VolunteerFD.org, the OSHA regulations are based on guidelines established by the National Fire Protection Association. OSHA regulations cover training, drill, equipment and record keeping.

  1. General Duty

    • Volunteer firefighters are considered employees of the fire department and fall under the general duty clause of the OSHA regulations. The clause requires employers to provide a safe working environment. While firefighting is inherently dangerous the requirement has been interpreted to mean the firefighter must be trained and equipped in a manner that provides as much safety as possible.

    Training

    • OSHA requirements mandate volunteer firefighters train in the type of firefighting they are assigned within the department. If a firefighter is assigned interior firefighting, he only must train on interior situations. Volunteer firefighters are required to train quarterly although the training does not require actual fire.

    Physicals

    • Volunteer firefighters are required to pass a pre-employment physical. This physical is designed to confirm the firefighter is physically capable of using a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). OSHA does not define the minimum physical requirements for SCBA use but instead leaves that to the discretion of the MD performing the physical. While it is not an OSHA requirement, some volunteer fire departments require an annual medical physical.

    SCBA

    • OSHA does require an annual test confirming the fit of the SCBA. This means no beards, goatees or other facial hair that will interfere with the fit of the mask.

    General Training

    • The volunteer fire department is required to maintain training records for all of its volunteers. Officers of the unit should be trained to a higher level than the volunteers they command. Training sessions must follow a prepared plan, include documentation of the topics covered, the objectives of the training session and a list of the volunteers attending.

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