Image Credit: Contributed / Hugh Daykin

By Dylana Milobar

WILDFIRE SMOKE IMPACT

B.C Wildfire Service looking at smoke inhalation mitigation for firefighters

May 10, 2019 | 11:33 AM

MERRITT, B.C. — With the 2019 wildfire season creeping up on the province, the B.C. Wildfire Service is working on protecting its members from damaging smoke.

Fighting active wildfires makes smoke inhalation unavoidable, however Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says the service is doing what it can to keep the province’s summer firefighters safe.

“We do try to avoid the exposure to smoke. But of course, thinking of the last two seasons, the entire province has been smothered in smoke, especially for our crews,” he says. “So there’s definitely some initiatives we’re looking at right now to try to look at the effects of that, and how that can be ameliorated.”

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Along with studying smoke impact solutions, Skrepnek says the service always makes a point to have crew camps set up a reasonable distance away from any blazes they’re extinguishing.

“(This practice is done) from a smoke inhalation perspective, but also just from a safety perspective,” he explains. “If the fire was to turn directions on us, we definitely don’t want to have to worry about the camp being compromised.”