Wildland firefighters' respiratory health to be studied by UBC
B.C. Wildfire Service testing respirators for firefighters who often battle smoke with little protection
After more than a decade of combating smoky wildfires in British Columbia,Kyler Gaulinsays being on the front line has taken a toll on his body.
"It's a job we love ... but I notice, at the end of the season,my lungs are definitely not nearly as strong as at the start," thePemberton, B.C., wildfirefighter said.
"We're working in a lot of very fine dust, a lot of smoke, a lot of ash."
In recent yearsdevastatingfires have burned in all corners of the provinceas thousands of firefighters inhale wildfire smokewith little protection. But new research aims to shed light on how those conditions are impacting firefighters' respiratory health.
The B.C. Wildfire Service(BCWS), in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, is embarking on what they're considering"groundbreaking" research, looking at the respiratory health of wildland firefighters.
"We don't know a lot about howtheir vessels arereacting or not reacting to wildfire smoke," said Madden Brewster, postdoctoral research fellow at UBC's Okanagancampus.
Researchers will trackfirefighters' cardiorespiratory systemsover the next two years collecting data before, during and after the fire season somethingBrewster says "hasn't really been done before."
Many use nothing exceptbandanas to cover their noses and mouths, according to occupational hygienist Drew Lichty.
He says wildfire smoke contains a hazardous mixture of gases, pollutants and pieces of debris that are invisible tothe naked eye.
"[Some] referto it as a toxic soup of chemicals."
Suchmicroscopic particles which can benarrower than a strand ofhuman hair can find their wayinto thelungs andbloodstream, Lichty says.
In June 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified firefighting as a known human carcinogen, stating firefightershave a 14 per centhigher risk of dying from cancer than the general public.In Canada, more than85 per centof firefighter fatality claims are attributed to cancer.
Even amid mounting evidence that breathingsmoke can cause deadly diseases, Lichty says right nowthere's little to no research into the effects ofwildfire smoke on the long-term health ofwildland firefighters.
As the 2024 fire season begins, researchers aretaking firefighters'blood samples and carrying outlung function tests to determine baseline measurements.
As the season progresses, Pemberton's wildland firefighters will be sent out into the fray equipped with air quality monitoring devices like gas detectors, which will measure carbon monoxide and air sampling pumps to detect particulates.
Gaulin, who is one of the researchparticipants, says an in-depth look into the health of wildland firefighters is longoverdue.
"These studies are super important obviously ... unfortunately, it's taken a couple busy years toget recognition of how serious the wildfires are becoming," he said.
Respiratory masks
Alongside UBC'sresearch, BCWS is implementing respiratory protection that includes multiple modelsof respirators capable of filtering harmful particulates and gases.
Emily Bennington, a second-year initial attack firefighter, said the masks were "constrictive".
"I see the benefit of it, but I think practically, I would find it hard to work with."
BCWS senior officer Mike McCulleysays finding the perfect mask for a wildlandfirefighter is tricky.
"If you picture a firefighter fighting a structure fire in a house, they have the luxury of being able to[carry] large masks, oxygen tanks. That's notthe reality for wildland firefighters," he said, noting that they often work in difficult terrain.
"We aretrying to make sure we're using the best [equipment]."
He says BCWS isprocuring enough masks to outfit more than 1,600 firefighters it has employedthis year, butthey aren't mandatory.
The federal government says Canada is at risk of another devastating wildfire season, after an unusually warm winter.More than 70 fires are already burning across the country, primarily in northern B.C., northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, officials said.
In the meantime,wildland firefighters Gaulin and Benningtonhope the ongoing research will soon provide them withnecessary insights to confront the unseen enemy threatening their heath and livelihood.
"I'm definitely excited to see how my health changes over a season, and my coworkers as well," Bennington said."Thatwould be very useful information to have."
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Mike McCulley as a procurement officer. In fact, his title is senior officer. The earlier version also incorrectly stated that the B.C. Wildfire Service was testing respirators as part of research by UBC. In fact, BCWS is no longer testing the respirators and the testing was conducted simultaneously but independently of UBCs research. A caption in the story also incorrectly identified a piece of equipment used by a wildland firefighter.Apr 11, 2024 3:28 PM PT
With files from Shelley Joyce and Gian-Paolo Mendoza
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