Explanation of agency authority:
Section 101.02 (1), Stats., authorizes the department to adopt reasonable and proper rules and regulations relative to the exercise of its powers and authorities and proper rules to govern its proceedings. Section 101.055 (3) (a), Stats., provides that the Department “shall adopt, by administrative rule, standards to protect the safety and health of public employees. The standards shall provide protection at least equal to that provided to private sector employees under standards promulgated by the federal occupational safety and health administration, ….” Chapter SPS 330, Wis. Adm. Code provides “minimum requirements for an occupational safety and health program for public sector fire department employees involved in fire department operations.” By contrast, private sector employer fire companies and fire departments are regulated under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Section 101.11, Stats., requires employers to furnish a safe place of employment and to adopt and use methods and processes reasonably adequate to ensure places of employment are safe and reasonably necessary to protect the life, health, safety, and welfare of employees and people who frequent public places of employment. In addition to requiring the Department to adopt standards to protect the safety and health of public employees, section 101.055 (3) (a), Stats., requires the Department to “revise the safety and health standards adopted for public employees as necessary to provide protection at least equal to that provided to private sector employees under federal occupational safety and health administration standards.” The proposed rules amend and update the standards incorporated by reference in ch. SPS 330, as well as update the language in this chapter to provide clarity and improve consistency. Related statute or rule:
Chapter SPS 332, Wis. Adm. Code, provides additional safety and health requirements for all public employees. Plain language analysis:
Many of these revisions simply update industry standards and improve clarity, consistency, format, and organization of these modifications. Proposed revisions that are substantive in nature include the following:
Subchapter I – Purpose and Scope
• SPS 330.001 - Purpose
• “Covered” agencies are incorporated in the “Purpose” and “Scope” sections to reaffirm that this rule applies only to public sector fire department employers and their employees.
• SPS 330.002 – Scope
• Adds “employers” to fire department, fire companies, and employees as covered entities under this rule.
• Moves notes under s. 330.003 (2) to this section relating to private sector fire departments being regulated under federal OSHA. • SPS 330.003 (1) and (2) - Application
• Repeals the “Covered” and “Not Covered” sections to avoid confusion and to align with the format used in other administrative rules.
• SPS 330.003 (4) - Global Deletion
• Creates a provision relating to a global deletion for the NFPA standards to clarify that only the adopted standards incorporated under subch. IV apply to this chapter and does not include the several other secondary standards referenced within each of the NFPA standards.
Subchapter II – Definitions
• SPS 330.01 - Definitions
• Revises the following terms:
• “Basic life support” amends the definition to more appropriately reflect ch. 256, Stats., rather than s. 941.3, Stats., and includes the titles of emergency personnel regulated by the Department of Health Services. • “Emergency operation” , “Fire apparatus”, “Fire fighter”, and “Fire fighting” are amended to reflect NFPA standards.
• “Incident command system” is amended to “incident management system” to incorporate NIMS and NFPA terminology.
• “Member” is amended for clarity.
• “Occupational illness” and “Occupational injury” are amended to reflect OSHA terminology.
• “Officer in command” and “Officer in charge” are amended to “incident commander” and the term, “Suggested operating guideline”, is amended to “standard operating guideline” to reflect industry terminology.
• Creates definitions for the following terms:
• “Emergency medical services personnel” and “EMS personnel” are defined to identify personnel who are regulated under DHS pursuant to ch. 256, Stats. • “Fit test”, “Quantitative fit test”, “Qualitative fit test”, “Self-contained breathing apparatus” and “SCBA” are defined in accordance with OSHA standards.
• “Hazard”, “Health and safety officer”, “Immediately dangerous to life or health”, “IDLH”, • • “Incident commander”, “Incident safety officer”, “Personal alert safety system”, and “PASS” are defined to align with NFPA standards.
• “National Incident Management System” and “NIMS” are defined in accordance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) mandate.
• “Qualified instructor” is defined to incorporate term used in rule.
• Repeals definitions for the following terms:
• “Fire Vehicle” is repealed and incorporated within the definition of “fire apparatus”.
• “New” is defined in current rule to reference a specific date of April 1, 1991. The date is no longer applicable, making the term obsolete.
• “Officer in command” is repealed and replaced with “incident commander” to reflect industry terminology.
Subchapter III – Administration and Enforcement
• SPS 330.011 – Inspections
• Updates the rule and a note to incorporate the current practices relating to the online form used by the Department for complaints and requests for inspections.
Subchapter IV – Adopted Standards
• SPS 330.02 – Incorporation of Standards by Reference
• Current rule adopts several standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), who periodically update standards to reflect current, best practices. SPS 330 contains outdated versions of these standards, including some that haven’t been updated since 1997. The proposed rule amends and updates standards incorporated by reference in the rule.
• This section also repeals the NFPA standard for testing fire department aerial devices, which was discontinued and incorporated within another standard.
• Updates the notes relating to the location where the standards can be accessed.
Subchapter V – Organization
• SPS 330.03 – Fire Department Health and Safety Officer
• “Safety position” is amended to “health and safety officer” throughout the rule to reflect industry terminology.
• Clarifies that the health and safety officer is distinct from the incident safety officer.
Subchapter VI – Training and Education
• SPS 330.07 – Training and Education
• Repeals and recreates the current “Training and Education” section to improve readability and incorporate OSHA standards and committee recommendations.
• This section includes a requirement that training and education shall be provided by a “qualified instructor”.
• Incorporates an OSHA standard that training and education commensurate with the duties and functions the fire fighter is expected to perform.
• Requires fire fighters engaged in structural fire fighting activities or exposed to hazards (IDLH) to obtain the minimum training standard before they perform any activity at an emergency scene, in accordance with OSHA standards.
• Requires fire department employers to restrict activities to non-hazardous support functions for members who have not met the minimum training requirements.
• SPS 330.08 – Minimum Training Standards
• Revises the current “Employment Standards” title and changes it to “Minimum Training Standards”.
• Removes a requirement for fire department members engaged in structural fire fighting to obtain fire fighter training within 24 months of their appointment.
• Requires fire department members to obtain entry-level fire fighter training before they perform activities during an emergency operation.
• Removes the requirement for pumper or aerial operators to obtain training within 12 months of their date of appointment.
• Requires drivers of pumper or aerial apparatus to obtain entry-level operator training prior to operating apparatus during an emergency operation.
• Removes the requirement for a newly appointed fire officer to take the basic officer training program within 12 months of appointment.
• Requires fire departments to provide training to fire officers prior to acting as an officer during an emergency operation.
• Codifies a federal requirement for fire officers to have NIMS training when acting as an officer during an emergency operation.
• Removes a provision relating to written documentation for training by fire department members and transferability of certifications to other fire departments.
Subchapter VII – Apparatus and Equipment
