The US government will provide wildfire fighters with masks to protect against smoke – reversing a decades-long ban that exposed workers to toxins known to cause cancer and other serious diseases.

The Forest Service posted new guidance on Sept 8 acknowledging for the first time that masks can protect firefighters against harmful particles in wildfire smoke. The move is part of a flurry of safety improvements in recent weeks as the government faces increasing pressure to aid firefighters.

For years, the Forest Service had barred workers from wearing masks, arguing that they were too cumbersome for the job.

But current and former officials have said the agency did not want to deal with the potentially costly consequences of admitting the long-term dangers of smoke exposure.

In an about-face, the agency now says it has stockpiled some 80,000 N95 masks and will include them in the standard set of equipment for all large fires. It is encouraging firefighters to mask up. Previously, they were only allowed to wear bandannas, which offer no protection against toxins.

The new guidance encourages masks for light duty. They remain banned during arduous work, like digging trenches to contain wildfires, because the Forest Service says they may cause overheating.

The new mask policy is part of a wave of changes in September aimed at helping wildfire workers.

The organi s ation that develops the nation’s fire safety standards rolled out an emergency rule on Sept 9 to protect firefighters from smoke even while they are doing grue l ling fire-line work. That group, the National Fire Protection Association, will now allow the certification of facial coverings that offer more protection than cotton bandannas but are not sealed respirators, like N95s.

Fire agencies across the country generally prohibit gear that is not approved by the association, so the change paves the way for firefighters to use more protective coverings, like neck gaiters with built-in filters.

“People might say this is just a Band-Aid, but right now we have an open wound, and we have to do something,” said Mr Rick Swan, who represents the International Association of Fire Fighters, a labo u r union.

Mr Swan said manufacturers were already reaching out to get their products certified against the new standard. NYTimes

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