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 Gaulin says 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," the Pemberton, B.C., wildfire fighter said.
"We're working in a lot of very fine dust, a lot of smoke, a lot of ash."
In recent years devastating fires have burned in all corners of the province as thousands of firefighters inhale wildfire smoke with 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 how their vessels are reacting or not reacting to wildfire smoke," said Madden Brewster, postdoctoral research fellow at UBC's Okanagan campus.
Researchers will track firefighters' cardiorespiratory systems over the next two years collecting data before, during and after the fire season — something Brewster says "hasn't really been done before."
Many use nothing except bandanas 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 to the naked eye.
"[Some] refer to it as a toxic soup of chemicals."
Such microscopic particles — which can be narrower than a strand of human hair — can find their way into the lungs and bloodstream, Lichty says.
In June 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified firefighting as a known human carcinogen, stating firefighters have a 14 per cent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public. In Canada, more than 85 per cent of firefighter fatality claims are attributed to cancer.
Even amid mounting evidence that breathing smoke can cause deadly diseases, Lichty says right now there's little to no research into the effects of wildfire smoke on the long-term health of wildland firefighters.
As the 2024 fire season begins, researchers are taking firefighters' blood samples and carrying out lung 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 research participants, says an in-depth look into the health of wildland firefighters is long overdue.
"These studies are super important obviously ... unfortunately, it's taken a couple busy years to get recognition of how serious the wildfires are becoming," he said.
Respiratory masks
Alongside UBC's research, BCWS is implementing respiratory protection that includes multiple models of 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 McCulley says finding the perfect mask for a wildland firefighter 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 not the reality for wildland firefighters," he said, noting that they often work in difficult terrain.
"We are trying to make sure we're using the best [equipment]."
He says BCWS is procuring enough masks to outfit more than 1,600 firefighters it has employed this year, but they 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 Bennington hope the ongoing research will soon provide them with necessary 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. "That would 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 UBC’s 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