Submitted by zsreport t3_z7bwjz in washingtondc
Awkward_Dragon25 t1_iy5s99g wrote
This is so fucking stupid. Beard means your SCBA mask doesn't seal correctly. Best case scenario you will be hemorrhaging air through the broken seal which will drastically cut down on your breathing time in an IDLH environment, and worst case you accidentally breathe in superheated and/or poisonous gasses and die.
"Religious liberties" is out of control in this country. Your religion doesn't say you have to do this job, so if you cannot conform to the essential functions of UNIFORMED SERVICE then go find another job. There's plenty of other people who will gladly do your paid firefighter job and follow the safety rules.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iye3y0j wrote
Aha! Your religion does not require you to be a firefighter. At least done that I have ever heard of and if I'm wrong please correct me.
But if your religion DOES require a beard then this is a no-brainer, practice your religion and do a different job where your beliefs are not compromised.
If you are truly faithful wouldn't your God in turn bless your efforts for such devotion?
that-gostof-de-past t1_iy5v2vz wrote
I’m sure there are a bunch of available masks that will seal with a beard . This is the same argument military leaders use to prohibit beards. But the Brit’s and a whole bunch of other countries have beards that seal with gas masks
ahabswhale t1_iy62lrl wrote
>I’m sure there are a bunch of available masks that will seal with a beard .
That would be a poor assumption.
https://www.examinetics.com/facial-hair-and-the-osha-respiratory-protection-standard/
>The Respiratory Protection standard specifically provides that
firefighters entering an immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH)
atmosphere must wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The
section of the respirator standard that applies, 29 CFR
1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A), requires employers to prohibit respirators with
tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have facial hair
that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face.
This regulation does not ban facial hair on respirator users, per se.
However, when a respirator must be worn to protect employees from
airborne contaminants, it has to fit correctly, and this will require
the wearer's face to be clean-shaven where the respirator seals against it.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2011-04-01
>3M is in full agreement with OSHA that nothing – be it facial hair or any other condition or article of clothing - should be permitted in the sealing area of a tight-fitting respirator or allowed to interfere with respirator valve function – and that respi-rator fit testing should not be conducted on people for whom this is the case. Furthermore, a medical evaluation to determine a worker’s ability to use a respirator must be completed before being fit tested. Therefore, 3M does not support conducting qualitative or quantitative fit tests on people wearing negative-pressure respira-tors (half and full facepiece air-purifying respirators) or positive-pressure tight-fitting respirators with any facial hair that extends under the respirator seal or interferes with valve function. Further, our use limitation instructions provide that all tight-fitting respirators should not be used with “beards or other facial hair or other conditions that prevent a good seal between the face and the sealing surface of the respirator.”
Awkward_Dragon25 t1_iy6544r wrote
There's no such thing. And actually all of those countries (including the US military) may allow beards in uniform with a valid religious exemption, those personnel are non-deployable to anywhere that they might be required to wear a gas mask, so basically they're ineligible for combat duty.
DCFEMS relegating their religiously exempt employees to logistical and non-frontline tasks is a legally-defined "reasonable accommodation". Allowing them to serve without shaving is utter foolishness and will result in death or disability for those people.
If you are unwilling to conform to the essential functions of your job, then you need to find a different job. This is 100% about safety, and your personal religious beliefs are not going to protect you from carbon monoxide, cyanide, superheated gasses, or airborne infectious agents.
that-gostof-de-past t1_iy7r66s wrote
Bro ice seeen Brit’s and Canadians with beards deployed with my own two eyes .
Awkward_Dragon25 t1_iy86myv wrote
Yeah and then what happens when you get gassed? If you're lucky you get 10 seconds heads-up to put on your mask and make sure it seals, and if you fuck it up well nice knowing you. A good seal is all the more important with a negative pressure system like a gas mask. SCBA and PAPR are at least positive pressure so there's an airflow gradient away from your nose and mouth in case there's a break in the seal. Chlorine, mustard, and sarin are awful ways to go: and all of 'em have been used recently in Syria (and a few decades ago in Iraq).
Secondly, growing a beard when you're trying to blend into the local population in a Muslim country is another use case, but it's a calculated risk based on intended diplomatic aims versus risk of a CBRN attack.
Nikkers1416 t1_iy6527a wrote
British firefighters can't have beards either.
https://www.local.gov.uk/fire-and-rescue-service-common-myths
>Can I be a firefighter if I have a beard? > >There are health and safety reasons why facial hair below the top lip cannot be accepted. As a Firefighter you will be required to wear a facemask when you are wearing breathing apparatus. To ensure that the facemask forms a seal around the face, it is necessary to keep the face shaven to prevent any dangerous airborne chemicals entering the facemask. Fire services work closely with the manufacturers of the equipment to look for new ways of overcoming the issues with facial hair, however an acceptable alternative that would meet health and safety requirements, has not yet been found.
Gumburcules t1_iy8dc44 wrote
> I’m sure there are a bunch of available masks that will seal with a beard
I've been scuba diving (with a beard) for nearly 20 years now, and I've used dozens of masks, both full face and regular, and I've never once used one that doesn't leak even a little bit.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iye40fz wrote
Ok, name the ones that will seal properly with a beard.
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