Whether tornadoes or terrorists attack, the need for personal protection is obvious for First Responders (firefighters, emergency medical services, law enforcement). However, ANYONE within the disaster area for any reason will need personal protection, including government employees; construction and utility workers; hospital personnel; and volunteers. Could this be you?

MSA’s attractive new 18-page product bulletin addresses the need for and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Homeland Security in four key activity phases: "Readiness, Response, Rescue, and Recovery." Accenting the pages are photos and quotations related to sites on which terrorists have attacked America. (Besides the 9-11 disaster sites, the Oklahoma City Murrah Building and other sites are represented.)

Each phase of action is briefly described.
• "Readiness" is most important: the time to assess, plan, prepare, and train for the event.
• "Response" is the immediate reaction to an attack.
• "Rescue" involves saving victims, and
• "Recovery" extends from reclaiming victims to eventual remediation of the site.

Thumbnail descriptions introduce 70 MSA products in this bulletin designed for both easy skimming and detailed reading. You’ll also find "lessons learned" at a December 2001 NIOSH conference, Web site links and publications, and information about Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Request a copy of this bulletin by filling out the FAX-BACK form on page 8, or call 1-800-MSA-2222 or your MSA distributor. You can also view a pdf of the Homeland Security bulletin at www.MSAFIRE.com.

Adrenaline isn’t enough.

The engineers and miners who rescued the miners from Pennsylvania’s Quecreek Mine on July 28, 2002, did not need MSA to supply any personal protection and equipment, because they already had what they needed. Their safety gear was at hand; their experience and training fortified them on the line.

Law enforcement officers and firefighters train as vigorously and regularly as any military troops for “what might happen.” They wear many layers of protective equipment, so when the time comes to respond to hostage situations or raging infernos, their minds are on the job, not how bulky their clothing is. Police don gas masks, heavy Kevlar clothing, helmets, etc., to simulate reality for target practice on firing ranges.

Thousands of potential victims escaped death on September 11, 2001, because for years, First Responders had made realistic evacuation exercises as familiar as breathing. They already knew how it feels to race up multiple flights of stairs with 40 pounds of equipment. When confronted with disasters beyond their imagination and training, they could still make a tremendous difference.

BEFORE using PPE, wearers MUST be trained in its use and understand it enough to answer questions like: “Is this product appropriate for this use? What are its limitations? What will it do for me—for how long?”

AFTER confronting a crisis, First Responders must review how well their procedures and equipment, communication, and supportive resources worked. Where were the weaknesses?

“The full-face respirator worked the best... we [HazMat team members] slapped cartridges on [our] full-face... to handle just about everything. We had voice amplifiers [to] communicate. [Responders wearing] just a half-face [mask], their communications went down quickly,” reported a firefighter-special-operations panel member, at the Dec. 2001 NIOSH conference on Protecting Emergency Responders.

To discuss your Homeland Security needs for gas masks and other MSA protection and instruments, call your MSA distributor or 1-800-MSA-2222.