(a) The regulated entity shall develop, maintain, and comply with written standard operating procedures that adhere with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Final Rule, 29 CFR Section 1910.134(g)(4) by requiring:
  (1) a team of at least four fire protection personnel must be assembled before an interior fire attack can be made when the fire has progressed beyond the incipient stage;
  (2) at least two fire protection personnel to enter the IDLH atmosphere and remain in visual or voice (not radio) contact with each other;
    (A) visual means that the fire protection personnel must be close enough to see each other; and
    (B) voice means that the fire protection personnel of the entry team must be close enough to speak to one another without the use of radios;
  (3) at least two fire protection personnel remain located outside the IDLH atmosphere to perform rescue of the fire protection personnel inside the IDLH atmosphere;
  (4) all fire protection personnel engaged in interior structural fire fighting use self-contained breathing apparatus and be clothed in a complete set of protective clothing as identified in Chapter 435;
  (5) all fire protection personnel located outside the IDLH atmosphere be equipped with appropriate retrieval equipment where retrieval equipment would contribute to the rescue of the fire protection personnel who have entered the IDLH atmosphere;
  (6) one of the outside fire protection personnel must actively monitor the status of the inside fire protection personnel and not be assigned other duties. The second outside fire protection personnel may be assigned to an additional role, including, but not limited to, incident commander, safety officer, driver-operator, command technician or aide, or fire fighter/EMS personnel, so long as this individual is able to perform assistance or rescue activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any fire protection personnel working at the scene;
  (7) All fire protection personnel entering an IDLH atmosphere must be equipped with an operable portable radio; and
  (8) each outside fire protection personnel must have a complete set of protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus, as identified in Chapter 435, immediately accessible for use if the need for rescue activities inside the IDLH atmosphere is necessary.
(b) The regulated entity shall comply with the 2-in/2-out rule as described in this section except in a reasonable belief of an imminent life-threatening situation when immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury before the team of four fire protection personnel are assembled.
(c) Whenever there is a variance to these procedures, a supplemental report must be submitted to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, documenting the rationale used to deviate from these written procedures.

Source Note: The provisions of this §435.17 adopted to be effective March 24, 2002, 27 TexReg 2242; amended to be effective December 8, 2022, 47 TexReg 8048