The short answer is YES. This can be a hotly contested debate as there are both paid and volunteer departments that believe they are somehow exempt from basic safety programs. In the state of Ohio (OH) professional firefighters are NOT covered by OSHA since OH is a federal OSHA plan; and volunteers do not fall under OSHA. So in respect to complying with OSHA, both groups are correct. But in many states, including OH, there are worker compensation boards that regulate those workers who fall under the state worker compensation program. In the state of OH we have the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation; and I might add that EPA also enforces OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard for those responders that fall out of OSHA’s enforcement reach. But lets stay on the myth that OH firefighters are not required to comply with any specific respiratory protection standards…