For years, scientists have known that wildfire smoke is bad for people.
Data published in the scientific journal Environmental Research shows that wildland firefighters have higher rates of mortality from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Now, for the first time, the Forest Service is recommending the use of N95 respirators in federal wildland firefighting, along with increased decontamination protocols in the forms of showers, gear cleaning and clean air recovery.
It’s still somewhat uncommon for people working in wildland fire to use respirators, said Heather Heward, a senior fire ecology and management instructor at the University of Idaho.
“ On the fire line, there are people that wear N95 masks when they are exposed to smoke,” she said. “I would say it's definitely the exception more than it is the rule.”
Heward, who works in controlled burns, said part of the reason is that respirators can be uncomfortable and impede airflow. It also has to do with established norms in the workforce.
If a practice is normalized by leaders, more people might get on board, Heward said. Workers also tend to become more open to safety measures as they get older.
“As they get 10, 15, especially 20 years in, they're having friends die of long-term illnesses,” she said. “And it's terrifying.”
The changes are a long time coming, Heward said.
“The frustration was that we know that smoke exposure is bad for us. And yet when asked which filtration device we should be using, the answer was, ‘Oh, none of them, we haven't studied it enough ,’” she said. “That was an unacceptable answer to a lot of people.”
In a statement, the U.S. Forest Service said it is expanding access to N95 masks as an interim measure.
“We understand this is not a long-term solution, but until National Fire Protection Association respirator standards are revised and a full OSHA-compliant respiratory protection program are developed, the agencies are taking immediate action to reduce smoke and contaminant exposure during this fire season,” the statement said.
At the same time, respirators are only one way of reducing the health risks for wildland firefighters, Heward said. But they can’t be used for every scenario. Federal guidelines discourage the use of respirators during strenuous activity or when they could hinder communication.
There is also a need to look for other ways to reduce overall health risks, Heward said.
For instance, she said, some mop-up operations may expose firefighters to more particulate matter from smoke and soil disturbance than is necessary from a fire safety perspective.
“ There are absolutely instances where a fire was not mopped up thoroughly and then started to move again. That is an important thing to prevent. And there are lots of other times where the specifications of the mop-up are really just to keep people busy,” Heward said.
Past measures to improve firefighter safety have included moving base camps to reduce smoke exposure, the introduction of fire-retardant clothing and hard hats.
There are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to wildland fire health risks, Heward said.
She also worries that recent and proposed cuts to scientific funding and within federal agencies may lead to a chilling effect on researchers who are government employees or rely on federal grants.
“When doing research, you need to be open to all of the answers that the data have for you,” she said. “And that might be that we've been doing things wrong and that people are getting sick.”
Heward said more research is needed to understand wildland fire health risks, and implement practices that can keep fire personnel healthy.
Read the audio transcript here.
