1. Marijuana Safety Awareness for Denver Fire Fighters

2. Presentation Road Map
This presentation is designed to provide Denver Fire Fighters with basic information about:
How to identify marijuana facilities
The various hazards found at marijuana facilities
The City’s “Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure” and related Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements
Through the course of this training, Denver Fire Fighters should gain a better understanding of how to identify marijuana facilities, the various hazards found at these facilities, and the City’s “Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure” and related personal protective equipment, or PPE, requirements.

3. Know Your Facilities Non-Licensed Facilities Licensed Facilities
Caregiver Grows
Home Grows
Illegal Operations
Licensed Facilities
Stores
Grows
MIPS (edibles manufacturers)
Testing Facilities
Marijuana facilities come in all shapes and sizes. They can be found in industrial warehouses, in strip malls, in office spaces, in homes, or even apartment complexes. It’s important to know the differences between the various types of facilities.
There are four types of licensed facilities: storefronts, where they sell the products, cultivation facilities where they grow the marijuana, MIPS, which are where they manufacture the edible products, and finally testing facilities where marijuana is checked for potency and contaminates. You can tell if a facility is licensed because they will have both a city license and a state license posted on the premise.
In addition, there are three types of non-licensed facilities. There are caregiver grows where up to 36 plants can be grown in a single non-residential location. There are home grows where up to 12 plants total per household. And finally, there are illegal operations, which include any location growing more than the legal number of plants without a license, as well as any facility performing gas-based hash oil extraction without a license.
It is important that you stay aware of where marijuana facilities are located. In your fire district. When responding to a call for service, knowing that you’re about to enter a marijuana facility is the first step to keeping yourself safe.

4. General Safety Hazards
Unsafe wiring and construction
Improperly stored chemicals
Exposure to intense UV lighting
Lack of fire extinguishers & emergency lights
Slip, Trip, and Fall Hazards
Hoses, water, tools and other obstructions
Tight areas for entry and exit
Booby Traps
Guard Dogs
Marijuana Facilities, especially in those where growing or hash oil extractions are taking place, have some unique safety hazards. Among these are:
-Unsafe wiring and construction
-Improperly stored chemicals
-Intensive UV lighting
-A lack of emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers and emergency lighting
-Slip trip and fall hazards including pathway obstructions such as hoses, water, and tools combined with tight areas for entry and exit
-Booby traps
-And guard dogs

5. Common Hazards Inhalation & Contact Hazards
Hazardous pesticide residue
Grow room mold
Fumigant sprays
CO2 use in grow rooms creating oxygen deficient air
Compressed gases – including butane, propane, CO2 (bulk)
Sulfur dioxide (illegal)
There are also a number of inhalation and contact hazards present in these types of businesses.
Health and safety can be impacted by:
Inhaling or touching hazardous pesticide residues, fumigant sprays, or molds/mildews
Entering into oxygen deficient atmospheres in grow facilities that use carbon dioxide
Working in extraction facilities that use compressed gases that are flammable and have an explosion potential
Breathing in sulfur dioxide – a gas that are sometimes present in growing facilities.

6. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure
The Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure has been developed as a guide to help minimize the risk of occupational related injury/illness to Denver Fire Fighters.
When responding to calls for service, use this procedure to:
Assess what hazards are present at the scene
Know how your PPE can keep you safe and use it.
This procedure is not meant to conflict with DFD SOGs. Always use your professional judgement to determine how you can best keep yourself safe while performing the duties of your job.
This Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure has been developed to help mitigate these hazards and to minimize the risk of occupational injury or illness to Denver Fire Fighters.
When responding to calls for service, this procedure can help you:
-Assess what hazards are present at the scene
-Know how PPE can keep you safe
-And properly don and doff your PPE
This procedure is not meant to conflict with DFD SOGs. Always use your professional judgement to determine how you can best keep yourself safe while performing the duties of your job.

7. DETERMINE IF YOU ARE ENTERING A MJ FACILITY INDICATIONS:
DISPATCH INFO
ODOR
LARGE ELECTRICAL TRUNK LINES
NFPA 704 PLACARD
SECURITY CAMERAS & ROOFTOP VENTING
LOCATION IN “GROW ZONES”

8. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure
The first step in the procedure is making a determination of whether you may entering a marijuana facility. There are many factor that may indicate that the building in question could be a marijuana facility. These include:
-Information received from dispatch stating that this is a marijuana facility
-A strong odor of marijuana permeating from the building
-Large electrical trunk lines feeding the building
-NFPA hazard signs posted on the building’s exterior
-Abundant security cameras and rooftop venting visible from the building’s exterior
-The building’s location in a section of the city where growing is popular.
Remember, any type of building may be used for growing or processing marijuana, so be alert to these signs on any service call. You know your neighborhood best, so keep and eye out for where your marijuana facilities may be.

9. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure

10. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure
Before entering a marijuana facility in a fire emergency situation, you should follow your SOGs.
Fire Emergency Response
Required
Standard Bunker Gear & SCBA
Meters
Consider
ANSI-approved safety glasses with 99.9 %UV protection
If you make a determination that the building contains a marijuana facility, and you are dealing with a fire emergency situation, then you should don your standard bunker gear and follow your standard emergency SOGs.

11. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure
When entering a marijuana facility on an EMS or non-emergency situation/call, you should, at a minimum, wear the following PPE. You may don additional PPE as the situation calls for it.
Level of Engagement
Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
EMS or Non- Emergency
Response
Expected
Bunking coat (minimum)
Closed-toed, non-slip shoes/boots
ANSI-approved safety glasses with 99.9 % UV protection
Disposable gloves
4-gas meter
Consider
SCBA (i.e. Oxygen deficient atmosphere)
Before entering a marijuana facility in an EMS or non-emergency situation, you should ensure that you have the proper PPE on. This includes:
-Long sleeves and pants. Your standard uniform may suffice, but otherwise you will need to put on your bunking coat prior to entering the facility.
-Close-toed, non-slip shoes or boots
-ANSI approved safety glasses with 99.9% UV protection
-Disposable gloves
Optional PPE you may use if you find it necessary includes your SCBA gear and a 4-gas meter.
**How to properly don PPE video here.**

12. Marijuana Facility Safe Operations Procedure
If you have to enter a grow room perform a safety scan.
Look for:
NFPA signs, safety warning signs SA*
Amber strobes
Evidence of dust, fog, or mists
Wet plants (may indicate recent chemical spraying)
Signs posted indicating recent pesticide applications
Odors of chemicals or solvents
Sulfur burners
IF PHYSICAL SIGNS ARE PRESENT WEAR FULL BUNKERS & SCBA!
When you leave the facility, DECON may be necessary. Disposable PPE materials should be discarded at the facility.
Before entering a grow room, you should perform a safety scan to identify what specific hazards may be present. Some things to look for include:
-NFPA signs or other explicit safety warning signs
-Evidence of dust, fog, or mists, as well as wet or dripping plants that may indicate recent chemical spraying
-Signs posted, typically on doors, that indicate recent pesticide applications
-Any chemical or solvent odor
-And any evidence of sulfur or sulfur burners
Be sure to put on additional PPE as needed if you find any of these hazards to be present.
BACK OUT and reassess the situation if you feel you are in danger or your smell sulfur.
When you leave the facility, decon may be necessary. Disposable PPE materials should be discarded at the facility.

13. For other safety questions contact:
On The Job Injuries
If you are injured on the job
Call your supervisor
Call the OUCH Line
For other safety questions contact:
Risk Management Office OR Safety Hotline
SAFE (7233)
If at any point you are injured on the job, it is city-wide policy to call both your supervisor and call the city’s OUCH line. If the injury you sustain is life-threatening, you should call immediately.
If you have any other safety related questions, you may contact risk management or the city’s safety hotline.