Fighting fire and fumes: risk awareness and protective practices among Western Australian firefighters

Kiam Padamsey; Ruth Wallace; Adelle Liebenberg; Martyn Cross; Jacques Oosthuizen

doi:10.1071/WF23147

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Fighting fire and fumes: risk awareness and protective practices among Western Australian firefighters

Kiam Padamsey ^A ^* , Ruth Wallace ^A , Adelle Liebenberg ^A , Martyn Cross ^A and Jacques Oosthuizen ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: k.padamsey@ecu.edu.au

International Journal of Wildland Fire 33, WF23147 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF23147

Submitted: 7 September 2023 Accepted: 5 April 2024 Published: 24 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

In Western Australia, the issue of bushfires (wildfires) poses a persistent health risk to both volunteer and career forestry firefighters, populations that have been historically understudied.

Aims

This descriptive qualitative study aimed to examine firefighters’ level of understanding concerning hazardous exposures, their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocols and their decontamination practices.

Methods

Guided by the socioecological model, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with firefighters representing both volunteer and forestry sectors.

Key results

Results indicate a gap in knowledge regarding the health risks associated with bushfire-generated smoke and contaminants among volunteer firefighters. Forestry firefighters, conversely, showed a greater awareness of these risks. Social dynamics, such as peer pressure, were identified as historical deterrents to PPE use, although recent trends indicate positive change. Forestry firefighters also highlighted systemic shortcomings, including inadequate provision of respiratory protection and lack of decontamination facilities for cleaning themselves and their PPE.

Conclusion

This study underscores the critical need for educational initiatives to address these gaps in understanding, along with organisational reforms to promote a culture encouraging PPE use and to provide essential resources for effective decontamination.

Implications

This research emphasises that a multi-level approach is essential for safeguarding the health of firefighters in bushfire-prone environments.

Keywords: Australia, bushfire, decontamination, forestry firefighter, personal protective equipment (PPE), smoke exposure, social dynamics, socioecological model, volunteer firefighter, Western Australia, wildfire.

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