Reporting on Wildfires

Entering the classroom on day 1, I sat in the second row with an empty chair beside me. When the teacher encouraged us to move forward, I took the opportunity, to sit next to Max, a 23-year-old from Minnesota. Max embodied the image of a stereotypical firefighter, having the build of an ex-D1 football player, which he was. There was a happy-go-lucky aura about him. He shared his plans to start a job with the Diamond Mountain Hot Shots in Susanville, CA come April, attributing his success in securing the position without having any fire background to his fondness for teamwork and his assertion that he was "built for manual labor." Max, with fireproof glasses and a mullet, and myself, the "fun-size firefighter," remained table partners for the remainder of the class. Behind us sat Julio, transitioning from masonry to firefighting, and Henry, who studied Fire Ecology at CSU Fort Collins. Behind them was Travis, a 24-year-old with golden retriever energy, who volunteered for the Boulder Fire Department. His table partner was Jacob, the sole high schooler in the class. He hoped to join the ranks of hotshots immediately after college. To our left were Shelby, Ashley, and Joko, employed by the city of Longmont and undergoing training for prescribed burns near Boulder.

Teaching the class was Tony Borja, Engine Boss and Engineer hailing from the Trinidad Fire Department. Tony's career spanned diverse roles, yet his heart lay in wildland fire. He attested to this by halving his salary to return to frontline firefighting after a job with an oil company, lamenting the excessive meetings, sedentary work, and bureaucratic entanglements of his former role. Like many of us, Tony thrived on manual labor and the camaraderie forged through enduring 16-hour shifts on one's feet. Overseeing the Firecamp was Tess Peterson, a veteran of both the Army and Navy, with a stint as a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard. Reflecting on my experience, I realize that part of what keeps people in the firefighting career is the community of workers. Time and again, Kat and Tony interrupted our lessons with banter, exemplifying the bond formed within the fire community.

Originally, the purpose of this venture grant was to attain my wildland firefighting certification (S-190/130) through the Colorado Firecamp to learn about mental health in the field of firefighting, and to become a more informed wildland fire reporter. To do this, I talked to firefighters and observed how mental health was taught in the class. The inspiration for this project stemmed from my participation in "Reporting on Wildfires,” a journalism course with Corey Hutchins during Block 1 of my senior year. In this class, I learned about the history of wildfires in Colorado and heard from several wildland firefighting agencies. Many of them brought up the toll of working such a strenuous job. During my time as an EMT, I have learned about organizations dedicated to supporting the lives of first responders. In Reporting on Wildfires, I expanded upon this knowledge when I came across a bill that would potentially support federal wildland firefighters.  Tim’s Act , as it is nicknamed, would offer paid time off for wildland firefighters and year-round access to insured mental healthcare resources. As a psychology student wanting to support first responders' mental health, this bill naturally intrigued me and inspired me to learn about the motivation for writing the bill. 

Through classmates and professors who have taken the S-130/190 Basic Firefighter course, I learned that instructors are taking more intentional steps to create a culture that is open about asking for help or declining an assignment that is outside of their comfort zone. Through taking the class, I got to witness this firsthand. The most obvious takeaway came from the emphasis on page 18 of the Incident Response Pocket Guide, a small yellow book wildland firefighters live by. It includes almost everything you need to know about the job, including how to  decline orders . 

Historically, wildland firefighting had a "Yes sir/ma'am" attitude. If someone asked you to do something, you did it without asking questions. However, guidelines have changed over the years to adapt to lessons learned in the blood of fallen firefighters. Page 18 outlines how to be your own Safety Officer as a wildland firefighter, saying no when you feel uncomfortable with an order. Throughout the class, our teachers Tony and Kat frequently brought up this page and had us practice turning town orders. While learning about firefighter well-being was an impactful part of the course, I could tell that this need was becoming a large movement, embodied by instructors like Tony and Kat who took wellness and safety seriously. Because of this, I found myself called to another topic in the firefighting community and decided to switch gears for my project to write about the need for improved respirators for wildland firefighters.

Our class had a unique privilege. While most classes are taught entirely from a classroom (some even entirely virtually), we had the opportunity to do two days of prescribed burns, burning 72 piles of wood sawed and piled by the Southwest Conservation Corps. On our first day of burning, we burned 3 piles. The second burning day was spent entirely in the field, where we burned 69 piles. Throughout the day, I noticed myself coughing and having difficulty breathing as the land we were burning filled with smoke. I struggled to breath deeply even though the smoke dispersion was about as good as it could have been.

Up until this day in the field, I hoped to get a job as a wildland firefighter, but now I was not sure if I could keep up with the health effects of smoke inhalation. I asked our teacher about respirators, but the consensus seemed to be that they are too bulky to wear on the job. Wildland firefighters already carry about 45 lbs on an average day in the field doing strenuous work, and adding a respirator only makes breathing more difficult--even if it is saving their lungs in the long run. 

As a wildland firefighter, you are required to have a  few items  on you at all times. They include the following: Nomex (flame-resistant) shirt and pants, proper footwear, hard hat, leather gloves, safety glasses, and a fire shelter. A mask or respirator is not on this list. When I got home, I began looking into this issue more. Turns out, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has been grappling with the need for wildland firefighting respirators since 2012, driven by concerns raised by academics and fire agencies. The International Agency for Research on Cancer now classifies firefighting as a job that can cause  cancer  because of the dangerous gases firefighters inhale. Previously, it was assumed that the combustion of natural things like trees was  not harmful . However, research is finding that it is. Burning trees produces carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, among other carcinogenic contaminants. In addition, there is a longitudinal  study  being conducted by the nonprofit Wildfire Conservancy on the health effects of a career in wildland firefighting. It was initiated to expose the impacts of smoke inhalation and guide policymakers and manufacturers in developing better solutions for firefighter health. The Wildfire Conservancy’s executive director Matt Rahn emphasizes the urgent need for improved respiratory gear, especially in increasingly hazardous environments firefighters confront in the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

While these studies initiated momentum toward improving respiratory devices, initiatives by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish standards for firefighting respirators faced resistance from manufacturers. They were hesitant to produce such equipment due to perceived low demand and profitability concerns. Not to mention, it would be challenging to create a seal that would fit over beards. To escalate the urgency, in 2022 the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) proposed a rule  mandating wildland firefighters to wear respirators within two years , prompting the development of a wildland respirator standard aligned with NFPA standards. Despite initial resistance, the California Professional Firefighters Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have expressed interest. An operational field assessment was held at the Del Valle Training Center on August 30, 2023 to test five promising respirator models, encompassing both powered and non-powered variants. After trying the equipment, firefighters had less than enthusiastic responses.

This  article  captures their reactions to wearing the respirators at the event. While health websites such as the   U.S Fire Administration  and  CDC   explain the risks of smoke inhalation, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, Cal Fire representatives agreed that the respirators were uncomfortable and not worth the extra strain to wear. Instead, they would continue doing what most firefights do: carry a bandana to shield from some smoke and fire-related particles. According to the   US Department of Homeland Security , some firefighters use N95 masks because they are lightweight, but neither a bandana of N95 protects from all the hazards inhaled on fires. Some firefighters even prefer to not use a handkerchief or a mask because they make it harder to breathe and exacerbate heat stress. 

Recognizing the need for better respirators, in November 2022, the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory prepared the “ Respiratory Protection for Wildland Firefighters Market Survey Report .” In it, they detail the 31 best respirators on the market for wildland firefighters. They include two specific types of respirators: air-purifying respirators (APRs) and powered air-purifying respirators (PARPs). ARPs can be worn as hoods, face masks, or mouthpieces and filter the air. They do not require batteries. Being the least advanced respirator option, they filter air but do not supply clean air. PARPs are more protective than ARPs by how they use positive air pressure to create a clean airflow inside a mask. They can be worn as a facepiece of a loose-fitting hood or helmet. They are also more breathable than ARPs because they have less breathing resistance. This is ideal, especially for more strenuous tasks like digging a fireline, a control line that stops an active fire from entering an unburned zone. They range from $729, about the maximum cost of an ARP, to $1,800. Even with the options laid out by this comprehensive report, firefighters seem to agree that none of them are suitable for the field.

To push for better designs, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $875,000  grant  to TDA Research to design a better model. It is called the  Wildland Firefighter Respirator Device (WFR) . It is easy to take on and off, has a clip to attach to a pack. It also includes an advanced HEPA particle filter and an activated carbon filter to protect against chemicals such as formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. In addition, it includes a built-in  blower unit  to blow cool air on their faces to decrease the heat exacerbation of wearing a mask. At the  first operational field assessment  in Columbia, SC, 8 firefighters evaluated them. This respirator is  still in development  and they are currently looking for a manufacturing partner.  UCLA  also recently received a nearly $2 million grant to work on improving respirator designs. 

Moving forward, I am continuing to learn about the development of respirators and am interviewing firefighters in the field. The story will be published in the  Burning Questions  substack this spring.

Thank you to the Keller Family for their generous support in funding my certification and research in wildland firefighting. Their support not only enabled me to pursue my goal of becoming a wildland firefighter, but has also opened doors to supporting the health and safety of the community through journalism. It was empowering to witness firsthand the efforts being made to prioritize the well-being of firefighters and to advocate for better resources. Their support has contributed to my momentum toward achieving safer working conditions for wildland firefighters in the field through journalism.