2023-07-07 12:05:07
Numerous studies have shown that firefighters are at high risk of contracting a number of illnesses (New window), including lung cancer, which has been linked to the high levels of fine particles present in wildfire smoke. .
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAF) is concerned regarding the increase in the severity of wildfires in Canada and more particularly the lack of specialized protective masks for those on the front line, as pointed out by its director of the Science and Research of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine Division, Neil McMillan.
“We unfortunately bury too many firefighters because of the illnesses they contract from exposures in the field. »
— A quote from Neil McMillan, Director of Science and Research for AIF’s Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine Division
According to Neil McMillan, the lack of personal protective equipment to reduce the exposure of firefighters to smoke is not only a provincial problem, but a national one. That’s why the AIF encourages all levels of government to invest in protecting firefighters.
There are no standards at the moment for firefighters who work in the event of a forest fire, according to Neil McMillan.
There is no real requirement for adequate respiratory protection that filters out carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and fine particles that we know are associated with diseases that kill firefighters, laments Neil McMillan.
Fight the flames, no matter what
After 13 seasons of fighting wildfires in Ontario and British Columbia, Ian Sachs says he’s starting to feel worn out.
We are often in the smoke. Even during a small outbreak of fire, we often breathe smoke, explains the firefighter.
When you’re 22 and doing this job, you don’t think regarding it. But, once you’re over 30 and you start to feel the effects of the smoke, you realize you’ve reached a point of no return, continues Ian Sachs.
Flame fighters usually camp near fires during wildfire season. You wake up with a kind of hangover because of the smoke, he explains. When the smoke sets in, you breathe it in all night and wake up with wheezing and headaches.,
Apart from COVID-19, no one has ever offered him respiratory protection, says Ian Sachs.
We are in the forest. We get branches in the face. We are wet. We sweat. We are hot. Do you work 16 hour days and wear something to sleep in your tent at night? No thanks. Anyway, I don’t know if it’s really possible to design something once morest forest fires.
Indeed, the environment of a forest fire makes it more difficult to find a mask that is comfortable to wear and that is not too bulky to be worn for long days and over long distances.
What are the correct masks?
A mask is currently being studied for use by the BC Wildfire Service.
The Sundstrom SR100 is approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to provide protection once morest smoke particles and a number of vapors and other gases.
Its design allows multiple filters to be stacked for different conditions.
Sundstrom’s SR100 half-mask is one of three devices being studied by the BC Fire Department and outside researchers for possible use by its field crews.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Craig Chivers
In addition to the Sundstrom mask, the BC Wildfire Service says it has partnered with several external occupational health and safety groups to test the feasibility of field use. the Fair Air Fire Mask, made in Australia, and the RZ M2.5 Mesh Mask.
The N95 mask is currently the only mask used regularly by its teams.
With files from Katie Nicholson
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