A bipartisan pair of senators Monday proposed legislation to ensure greater use of respiratory protection by wildland firefighters, who’ve long been discouraged from using it.
Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the “Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act,” which would lead to federal respiratory protection standards for wildland firefighters.
“Our wildland firefighters already face some of the most grueling, dangerous conditions imaginable,” Curtis said in a release. “The least we can do is ensure access to materials that will protect them from the long-term health consequences of breathing toxic smoke.”
The legislation would direct the Forest Service and the Interior Department to work with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to create respiratory protection that accounts for the unique needs of wildland firefighters.
