Great article here on the health effects smoke has on wildland firefighters. It has been known the chemical and off-gassing dangers of structural firefighters but wildland firefighters have similar issues.

“People are now aware that they probably shouldn’t stand in the smoke if they don’t have to,” said Mike DeGrosky, Fire Protection Bureau chief with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. “People know to minimize smoke exposure out on the line when people are working. But the reality is they work in a very, very smoky environment that smoke has lingering health effects.”

Read the full article here.