The federal government has issued new guidelines to wildland firefighters for the voluntary use of protective masks. The move comes as knowledge of long-term health risks faced by such workers – including cancer – grows.
The new guidance says that N95 respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health will be available for firefighters. However, the guidance notes that there is not yet an approved mask for “arduous work” directly on the fireline. Unlike their structure firefighter peers, nearly all wildland firefighters breathe in smoke and other toxic substances without respiratory protection.
“The Interior and Agriculture departments are working on respirator options in the wildland fire environment that meet both regulatory and workplace requirements,” the guidance continued.
During a U.S. House oversight hearing Tuesday, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz was asked by representatives about efforts to better protect the health of firefighters. The hearing comes in the wake of a reporting series by the New York Times highlighting what it called “an occupational health crisis.”
“It would be unthinkable for urban firefighters — those American icons who loom large in the public imagination — to enter a burning building without wearing a mask,” one of the Times stories reads. “But across the country, tens of thousands of people who fight wildfires spend weeks working in toxic smoke and ash wearing only a cloth bandanna, or nothing at all.”
“We talked about the New York Times piece,” Democratic California Representative Jared Huffman said. “Chief, do you feel like the Forest Service is doing everything that it can and should do…?”
“I think there's always more work to do,” Schultz responded.
In response to similar questions from Democratic Colorado Representative Joe Neguse, who has been a vocal proponent of wildland fire reforms, Schultz said: “Firefighter safety is of critical importance to the agency. And we're working with our firefighters to make sure that they are protected and have appropriate [personal protective equipment] to keep them safe.”
The week before, Neguse was one of a number of representatives who sent a letter to Schultz in the wake of the Times reporting.
“Recent reporting has indicated unsafe working conditions for federal wildland firefighters as they face the toxicity of wildfire smoke without adequate protective equipment – exposing these brave men and women to extreme health risks,” the letter reads. “The toxic wildfire smoke that wildland firefighters are exposed to has been linked to countless dangerous health conditions, including cancers, and yet your agency has not provided protective equipment to firefighters, even on a voluntary basis. The [Forest Service’s] own research has outlined the dangers of wildfire smoke and called for additional protective equipment, but the agency has not done so.”
“What steps is USFS taking to support wildland firefighters in response to the health risks associated with wildland fire response?” Schultz is asked in the letter.
Recent research found that wildland firefighters are exposed to at least 31 known carcinogens on the line.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
