US Forest Service Changes Its Stance on N95 Masks

Federal wildland firefighters are getting a long-awaited green light to wear N95 masks on the job. In what NBC News describes as a major shift, the US Forest Service on Wednesday said crews can use the respirators while on the fire line—reversing decades of practice in which such protection was effectively off-limits. The agency framed the move as a stopgap while it works toward a full OSHA-compliant respiratory protection program.

N95 use will be encouraged but optional and will require training, with firefighters allowed to remove masks if they overheat. The Forest Service also rolled out a new decontamination program that pays firefighters for time spent washing gear, cleaning vehicles, and showering after a blaze. Studies have found career wildland firefighters face significantly higher risks of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, and advocates called the changes overdue. The Los Angeles Times in September reported the Forest Service had long argued the masks could cause heat exhaustion; countries like Canada, Greece, and Australia that do use them have not seen an associated rise in heat stroke cases.