r/Wildfire • u/smokejumperbro USFS • 14d ago

News (General) Video: Why Wildfire Fighters Are Getting Dangerously Sick

https://www.nytimes.com/video/health/100000010339242/why-wildfire-fighters-are-getting-dangerously-sick.html?smid=url-share
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u/Hikingcanuck92 14d ago

Last summer I was in a fire camp and the air quality was absolutely atrocious. I think it was the worst in the world for about a week. I’m with an IMT, not actually on the line.

After my first night in my tent, I woke up with a stinging throat and couldn’t stop coughing. I decided to wear an N95 for the rest of that deployment and it made a noticeable difference with how I slept, and felt.

I was the only one in camp to do so and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I understand it’s a logistical challenge on the line and an encumbrance during manual labour, but the fact the culture didn’t normalize masks while at rest is nuts to me.

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u/TheSpock Wildland FF2 13d ago

Idaho? I got some kind of bronchitis/pneumonia on a fire there last summer when they had the worst AQI in the world. Made me start thinking about my lungs more.