As California's wildfire season approaches, authorities are worried about their ability to muster a healthy firefighter force amid coronavirus crisis.
As catastrophic windblown blazes strike with more frequency, California’s system of mutual-aid firefighting is cracking, with fire chiefs sometimes reluctant or unable to assist their counterparts.In an effort to limit the transmission of illness among wildland firefighters, officials are adjusting the layout at fire base camps, where fire crews traditionally eat, sleep and bathe in close quarters, along with many caterers and contractors.
“Wildfire smoke is kind of like cigarette smoke — a mixture of carbon-based particles and irritant gases,” Balmes said. With the body’s immune system preoccupied battling these foreign invaders in the lungs, that gives it less ammunition to fight the coronavirus, Balmes explained.In California, a soggy spring has so far kept the 2020 fire season at bay.
On the long drive to an incident, firefighters avoided drinking water, out of concern about touching their face masks, and increased their risk of dehydration. They also traveled in more vehicles than usual, to ensure proper distancing, and thereby increased their chances of a crash — one of the leading causes of death for firefighters.
“If the intent is to fight fire, there needs to be an understanding that COVID-19 social distancing recommendations cannot be fully adhered to when engaged in firefighting,” read a report from the April 17 Verde fire in Colorado. “The question needs to be answered: does a lack of completely adhering to COVID measures mean less engagement or not?”
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