“Firefighters are being poisoned by wildfire smoke. We’re doing little to protect their health”

Despite being tasked with protecting their communities from the ravages of wildfires, the government has left wildland firefighters vulnerable for decades. Julie Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle found the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire, known as Cal Fire, have been aware of the serious smoke danger posed to firefighters, but these agencies have not enacted solutions to protect first responders.

Johnson spent six months reporting, resulting in the definitive account on the government’s failure to protect firefighters from smoke. She utilized a growing body of research illustrating the detrimental effects of smoke inhalation on the human body. She interviewed wildland firefighters to learn of their first-hand experience with the lack of preventative smoke inhalation gear. Johnson also shared sobering medical data, including the results of blood samples taken from 80 firefighters of the 2018 Camp Fire. They contained high levels of mercury, lead, flame retardants and chemicals from plastics.

She chronicled other health ailments plaguing firefighters, including cancer diagnoses. A dynamic timeline tracked the history of efforts to find a solution for preventing smoke inhalation and recent efforts to design a respirator specific to wildfire fighting needs. Johnson’s detailed reporting advanced the story and provided a path forward by profiling these efforts.

Article by: Leyla Shokoohe