![]() ![]() “It’s just been that way forever.”Īs more wildfires roar into communities built in the wildland urban interface, where homes intermingle with densely managed forest, more firefighters face smoke filled with not only charred grasses and trees but also the toxic remnants of cars, houses and industrial facilities. “There are times where you just don’t breathe, because you can’t,” Wainwright said. ![]() After a decade of stalled development, public agencies in California plan to test new respirator prototypes this week in hopes of offering some long-awaited protection. Wildland firefighters have long remained exempt from general state occupational safety regulations, most recently from the draft smoke protection rules for outdoor workers, as they operate under a separate safety code. This story is part of Crosscut’s WA Workplace Watch, an investigative project covering worker safety and labor in Washington state. To date, no respirators meet the standards of both the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and firefighting’s leading advisory body. But none meet the physical demands of wildland firefighting, leaving wildland crews with little more than a bandana or loose shroud for protection. Plenty of respirators can help prevent smoke inhalation - think of those big, self-contained respirators structural firefighters wear in burning buildings, and even N95 masks. ![]() Wainwright said he would if he could, but despite the danger, no one has ever manufactured a respirator suited to his job. “I think back now and I’m like, we’re ticking time bombs.”Īmerica’s wildland firefighters spend long hours exerting themselves in wildfire smoke, but haven’t worn respirators while tackling wildland fire in both remote and increasingly urban areas. “It’s just crazy to me how much toxicity is in our bodies,” said Wainwright, who chairs the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters’ wildland fire and mobilization committee. Back when he was a teen, Wainwright said, he wouldn’t have thought twice about being able to smell himself, but now at 53 with a family, it’s a different story. ![]()
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