‘Lives are going to be shortened:’ Fort McMurray firefighters fear for health
Many Fort McMurray firefighters, unable to wear their usual air masks while battling a giant wildfire that attacked the northern Alberta city, are being screened for health problems because they spent several days breathing in hazardous smoke.
Some of the 180 crew have developed a persistent cough, says firefighter Nick Waddington, president of the Fort McMurray branch of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Results of lung and blood tests will be private. But Waddington predicts the firefighters will need ongoing support and possible treatment for serious illnesses over the next 10 to 20 years.
“Realistically, a lot of our guys, their lives are going to be shortened because of this incident,” Waddington says bluntly. “When you compound that with everything that we’re going to have in our careers, we’re definitely going to be in a high risk.”