Question: Would you/Do you permit 2-way radios, and their attachments, that do NOT carry a rating for HAZLOCs (Class I, Div 1/2) to be used inside a Level A suit?
Recently I was asked to help a client in the great state of NM with their emergency response capabilities. Our first step was to assess their needs and their in-house capabilities and to use the local fire department(s) to fill in the gaps. This is a large facility with it’s own well staffed, trained and equipped ERT; but the plant management was adamant that while I was on site for the week that they wanted to have time with the local LEPC staff and the heads of the FD’s that may be called to provide assistance in any of the emergencies we manage for (i.e. chemical, medical, fire, PRCS/HA rescue). It was during a casual meeting over lunch that we discovered, what we felt, was a serious concern; the FD leadership thought it was not a concern and that they had bigger issues to worry about. In the end, the facility purchased new equipment for the local FD’s (4 of them) so that they could respond safely. The FD’s seemed to have the same logic and it turns out they had the same salesperson as well! Here is their logic, would you follow this risk rationale: