Today the department came together to sit through the annual Department of Labor/ Bureau of Labor Standards mandatory class. Maine is a state that follows OSHA rules, and our fire department, despite being 98% volunteer is required to comply with OSHA’s workplace safety compliance rules. There is a lot of documentation that goes into ensuring our firehouse and work practices are as safe as they can be. We had classes on Bloodborne pathogens, sexual harassment, fire extinguishers, lock out/tag out, required annual PPE inspection, SCBA fit tests, and many other required subjects. It is certainly a lot to keep up with but we find that we do it and we have fun as the officers each pick one or more topics to deliver to the rest of the groups. Here is a shot of the guys and gals upstairs in our hall, Chief Balentine has the floor in this picture.
