US EditionFederal wildland firefighters can now mask up, in long-standing policy reversal
The U.S. Forest Service stockpiled 80,000 N95 masks to address wildfire smoke risks as lawmakers and safety groups push for improved protections and research.
- On September 8, the Forest Service issued updated recommendations recognizing for the first time that wearing masks can shield wildland firefighters from hazardous particles found in wildfire smoke.
- This policy reversal follows decades of a ban that exposed firefighters to toxins linked to cancer, amid growing reports of illness and calls for improved protection.
- The National Fire Protection Association issued an emergency rule on September 9 allowing certification of facial coverings more protective than bandannas, even during grueling fire-line work.
- The Forest Service has accumulated around 80,000 N95 masks to be part of the regular gear for major wildfire incidents, promotes mask use during less strenuous duties, but continues to prohibit masks during intense physical activities such as trench digging.
- Stakeholders said the shift is a crucial step, with lawmakers developing bills to improve respiratory protection while agencies plan rulemaking to extend mask requirements to contract firefighters.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Wildfire Fighters Will Now Be Provided With Masks For Smoke Protection
The move, which reverses a decades-long ban, comes after a series of articles in The New York Times describing health crises among wildfire fighters. Also in the news: California, Ohio, New York, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Rhode Island, Maine, Alaska, and elsewhere.
Federal wildland firefighters can now mask up, in long-standing policy reversal
The federal government will now allow its firefighters to mask up — upending a decades-long policy that had left them exposed to toxic flurries of illness-inducing wildfire smoke. The U.S. Forest Service this week issued new guidance for wildland firefighters regarding the voluntary use of N95 respirators via the National Interagency Fire Center’s health program, as first…
The Virgin Islands Daily News
DNyuzU.S. Wildfire Fighters to Mask Up After Decades-Long Ban on Smoke Protections
The U.S. government is providing wildfire fighters with masks to protect against smoke — reversing a decades-long ban that exposed workers to toxins known to cause cancer and other serious diseases.
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