Application of Smoke Detector Technology to Minimize Smoke Exposures to Wildland Firefighters

摘要

Personnel who fight wildland fires are limited to the amount of protective equipment that they can carry with them. Bulky respiratory protection devices are considered extraneous to a smoke jumper who must carry all their tools and living necessities on their backs. In addition, respirators cannot filter out carbon monoxide, a significant airborne hazard from wildland fires. Instead, personnel are trained to recognize and avoid inhalation exposure situations eliminating the need for respiratory protection. Most of the personnel who fight wildland fires are augmentees who are often poorly trained, lack experience, and are inadequately equipped to safely respond to the fire. In addition, wildland firefighters often lack the experience of responding to a large fire. Lastly, inhalation exposure conditions (concentrations, wind speed, wind direction, etc.) vary with each wildland fire encountered, which increases the exposure potential. Most studies of the inhalation hazards from wildland fires indicate individual exposure levels of measurable contaminants were below the permissible exposure limits (PELs) established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with an incident overexposure rate of approximately 5 - 10 %. These exposures were attributed to lack of worker training or awareness of the existing inhalation hazard. The primary health effect reported was upper respiratory and eye irritation (mainly from acrolein, formaldehyde, and particulate matter exposure). For comfort, workers often wear scarves and bandanas to reduce the discomfort of smoke exposure. For eye protection, some workers may wear goggles with limited protective capacity.