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User Information Guide – Protective Hoods for Structural Fire Fighting
Introduction
Your protective hood is intended to provide limited
protection to your head and neck as an interface
device of a properly selected and configured
protective ensemble during structural fire fighting
and related emergency response activities. While
your protective hood is designed to provide
your protective hood will not protect you
protection against a number of fireground hazards,
against all exposures and under all conditions,
even when worn properly.
This user information guide provides information
and instructions related to the selection, use,
care, and maintenance of your protective hood.
However, this guide does not tell you when and
under what circumstances you should wear your
protective hood. Rather, this guide tells you how
to wear your protective hood and provides an
understanding of the limitations of your hood in
how it may or may not protect you. Determining
the suitability of your protective hood for specific
emergency operations rests with your department
or employer, who has the legal responsibility to
conduct a hazard assessment and decide if your
protective hood provides appropriate protection
against identified hazards.
While this guide provides you basic informa-
tion to adequately care for and maintain your
protective hood, there certain additional
procedures – such as advanced inspection,
advanced cleaning, decontamination, and
retirement – that should be performed only by
trained and qualified personnel. Information
and instructions for these additional proce-
dures are provided on our website. Go to
www.HoneywellFirstResponder.com. Click on
"SERVICES" and then "Cleaning and Care."
Pre-use Information
General Construction and Features – Your
hood has been manufactured to comply with and
is certified to NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective
Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Prox-
imity Fire Fighting. Honeywell protective hoods
are primarily constructed of knit materials that
cover the wearer's head and neck; they include a
face opening designed to fit around the face-
piece of a self-contained breathing apparatus
(SCBA), and a bib that extends down the body on
the sides, front, and back of the wearer's upper
torso. The Reed hood styles are constructed of
multiple layers of garment-like materials. Some
knit hoods include additional insulation layers.
The length of the bib depends on the specific
hood model. Descriptions of the available types
of materials and specific features are provided on
the Honeywell website at www.HoneywellFirstRe-
sponder.com. Click "PRODUCTS" and then select
"Hoods." Alternatively, click on "LITERATURE" to
view the product brochure.
Safety Considerations and Limitations of Use
– It is critically important that you do not use this
protective hood until you have read and under-
stood this entire guide and the labels provided on
your protective hood. In order to reduce – but not
eliminate – your risks, do not wear this protective
hood unless:
• You Understand Labels, This Guide, and
Applicable Standards: You have read, fully
understood, and strictly follow this guide and all
labels for this hood; the NFPA standards listed
on the hood certification label; and applicable
national, state/provincial, and local regulations
• Your Use is In Accordance with Applicable
pertinent to emergency operations.
Standards and Regulations: Your use of this
protective hood is consistent with NFPA1500,
Standard on Fire Department Occupational
Safety and Health Program and Title 29, Code
of Federal Regulations Part 1910.132, General
Requirements of Subpart I, "Personal Protective
Equipment," and any specific regulations that
• Need for Hazard/Risk Assessment: Your
pertain to your local area.
department, organization, or employer has
conducted a hazard/risk assessment and
determined that this hood provides an accept-
able level of protection for the particular emer-
gency operations consistent with applicable
• Your Hood Is Properly Adjusted: Your hood
national, state/provincial, and local regulations.
must be properly worn to provide protection to
portions of your face, head, and neck that are
not covered by the SCBA facepiece, coat
• Limitations of Protection: You have been
collar, and helmet.
trained and understand that not all hoods
provide protection from all hazards, and you
have been trained and understand how to
select and properly use the appropriate hood
• Heat Stress: Wearing your protective hood
to meet the expected exposure.
together with other ensemble elements may
increase your risk of heat stress which may
cause heart attack, stroke, dehydration, or
other health-related conditions. At the first sign
• Burn Injury: Your protective hood will not pro-
of heat stress, immediately seek medical help.
tect you from all burns and injuries. If your
protective hood is exposed to radiant, convec-
tive, or conductive heat, or comes in contact
with a hot environment or hot object, you may
be burned underneath the protective hood with
no warning and no sign of damage to the
• Heat Sensation: Your protective hood will
protective hood.
lower your ability to feel heat. Do not be misled
by the absence of heat or discomfort under-
neath your protective hood. Even though you
do not feel heat or discomfort, you can be
burned or injured suddenly and without warn-
ing. If you feel heat or some slight discomfort or
unusual sensation under your protective hood,
you may already have been burned or are
about to be burned. Be constantly alert to the
possibility of exposure to heat and other hazards.
• Barrier Protection: If not equipped with a
barrier material, your protective hood will not
provide liquid integrity to your head, face, and
neck area. Water and other liquids may enter
openings in the interfaces between the hood
and other ensemble elements. Hoods without
barrier materials offer no protection from liquid
exposure and thus will not protect you from
chemical, radiological, or biological hazards
which can cause death, injuries, diseases,
and/or illnesses. Furthermore, the hood does
not offer any protection from hazardous vapors
• Other Hazards: Your protective hood – wet or
or gases, liquefied gases, or cryogenic liquids.
dry – may not protect you from electrical shock.
Your protective hood will not protect you from
all physical hazards. Your protective hood may
be penetrated, cut, or torn by sharp surfaces or
objects. Do not use your protective hood if
contaminated, cut, punctured, worn, abraded,
• Need for Complete Ensemble: This hood is
or altered from its original condition.
effective only when properly worn, accounting
for a proper interface with your garment, helmet,
and SCBA facepiece; is part of a complete
ensemble that includes appropriate elements
for your overall protection; and is consistent
with your organization/departmentís hazard
• Proper Care and Maintenance: This hood
and risk assessment.
must be properly inspected, maintained, and
cared for by your department, organization, or
employer consistent with these instructions and
applicable national, state/provincial, and local
regulations, and is free of soiling, contamination,
damage, and any alteration that would compro-
mise the protection it provides in its original
condition. Damage and contamination of this
• Warranty: This hood is NOT warranted to be fit
hood may warrant its disposal.
for a particular purpose. Read carefully the
"Warranty Information" at the end of this guide.
If the label in the hood is missing or becomes
unreadable, contact Honeywell for instructions
for how to obtain a copy of the label information.
Marking Recommendations – Do not attempt to
alter or modify your hood. For identification pur-
poses, you may mark your protective hood on the
bib in areas that are not exposed during normal
wearing using an indelible marker, if permitted by
your department or organization. Do not write
over or obscure information on the product label.
Testing and Assessment of Performance –
Representative samples of your protective hood
have been evaluated for a number of perform-
ance properties that include opening size
retention, thermal protective performance, flame
resistance, heat and thermal shrinkage resist-
ance, thread melting, and physical strength.
None of these performance properties can be
evaluated in the field, so if you have questions,
check with your department or organization,
which in turn can contact Honeywell.
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