Red Card Personal Protective Equipment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During an airtanker or helicopter retardant drop, what PPE action should firefighters on the ground take?
- Remove hard hats to avoid being knocked down
- Shield eyes and face, secure hard hat, and move to designated safety areas (Correct answer)
- Stand still and brace — movement increases injury risk
- Retardant drops pose no PPE concerns
Correct answer: Shield eyes and face, secure hard hat, and move to designated safety areas
Retardant drops create impact hazards from the fluid and can dislodge debris; securing the hard hat and protecting the face reduces injury risk.
Question 2: What is the key functional difference between a Type I and Type II wildland hard hat?
- Type I protects only the crown; Type II provides crown and lateral (side) impact protection (Correct answer)
- Type I is for supervisors; Type II is for line personnel
- Type I is vented; Type II is non-vented for smoke protection
- Type I is white; Type II is yellow for high-visibility
Correct answer: Type I protects only the crown; Type II provides crown and lateral (side) impact protection
Type I hard hats protect only the top of the head, while Type II hard hats add lateral impact protection for side-impact hazards.
Question 3: A crew is working in a smoke-filled area with an AQI of 180. Which respiratory protection is appropriate for wildland firefighters?
- No respiratory protection is required below AQI 200
- A properly fit-tested N95 respirator (Correct answer)
- A standard dust mask (surgical-style)
- A wet bandana over the nose and mouth
Correct answer: A properly fit-tested N95 respirator
An N95 respirator is the minimum NIOSH-approved respiratory protection effective against wildfire smoke particulates at AQI levels above 150.
Question 4: What characteristic of wildland firefighting boots specifically reduces heat conduction from hot soils?
- Steel toe cap
- Lug outsole with deep tread pattern
- Thick leather upper
- Insulating midsole of leather or heat-resistant rubber (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Insulating midsole of leather or heat-resistant rubber
An insulating midsole layer (commonly leather or heat-resistant rubber) reduces conduction of heat from hot soils and ash beds through the boot sole.
Question 5: How should a firefighter's Nomex shirt be worn during active suppression work near flame or intense heat?
- Sleeves rolled up for maximum cooling and dexterity
- Collar open and sleeves down but unbuttoned at wrist
- Collar buttoned, sleeves down and secured at wrist (Correct answer)
- Tucked in with collar open for air circulation
Correct answer: Collar buttoned, sleeves down and secured at wrist
All closures — collar, cuffs, and shirt front — must be fastened during active suppression to maximize the flame-resistance barrier and minimize skin exposure.
Question 6: Which of the following is an acceptable substitute for a wildland-certified hard hat if one is temporarily unavailable on the line?
- A construction hard hat (Type I Class E)
- A bicycle helmet with ANSI rating
- A structural firefighting helmet
- There is no acceptable substitute — work must stop (Correct answer)
Correct answer: There is no acceptable substitute — work must stop
No substitute is acceptable; wildland firefighters may not work the fire line without a wildland-certified hard hat that meets NFPA 1977 requirements.
Question 7: After a fire shelter deployment (actual entrapment survival), what must happen to the shelter before it can be reused?
- Clean it with water and repack it for the next assignment
- Inspect it for holes; if intact, it may be reused once more
- It cannot be reused — deployed shelters must be retired from service (Correct answer)
- Send it to the cache for professional inspection and repackaging
Correct answer: It cannot be reused — deployed shelters must be retired from service
Any fire shelter that has been deployed in an actual entrapment must be permanently retired from service, as heat exposure compromises the reflective foil integrity.
Red Card Personal Protective Equipment 5
During an airtanker or helicopter retardant drop, what PPE action should firefighters on the ground take?