Thomas Leblanc spent 35 years fighting wildfires in Montana, Alberta, BC and Ontario, but when he developed a cancer linked to firefighting, he was repeatedly denied workplace coverage. …Leblanc applied to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for compensation but was rejected. In all but four jurisdictions in Canada, wildland firefighters are excluded in legislation from the presumptions granted to structural firefighters. …Thomas Leblanc died at the age of 54 in August 2010. …Kim Leblanc had no idea she would become entrenched in a nearly decade-long battle to get the WSIB to recognize that her late husband’s cancer was caused by three decades of wildfire exposure. …In June 2018, WSIB accepted her husband’s smoke exposure was a “probably significant contributing factor”. …Exactly how wildland firefighters are covered for presumptive compensation depends on what jurisdiction they are in, as nearly every province and territory in Canada has different rules on who is eligible and for what conditions.
The fall edition of the BC Forest Safety Council newsletter is packed with great stories and announcements. Some highlights include:
Two-week work cycles. Shifts that can last up to 18 hours. Sleeping in tents. Dangerous and unpredictable work environments. Those are the working conditions for many wildland firefighters across the country as Canada contends with a record wildfire season. …“There’s no question that we are seeing burnout,” said Steve Lemon, safety and well-being officer with the BC Wildfire Service. …“We’ve been engaged pretty full on since the beginning of May really, without any respite,” he said. “The length of the fire season, the intensity, the long-term drought that we’ve been experiencing, that all leads to more complex fires, bigger fires. Those will all undoubtedly have an impact on people.” That’s weighing on the service’s approximately 700 full-time staff, who would typically take advantage of the off-season to rest and recover, he said. …The BC Wildfire Service offers mental health supports that include a 24/7 dedicated counselling line, said Alex Lane, a firefighter.
BCFSC offers over 30 FREE 
As wildfires continue to affect B.C.’s Southern Interior, employers and workers must remain vigilant about the potential health risks posed by smoke exposure. “Breathing in smoke can be dangerous for workers, as it is a form of air pollution that contains a complex mixture of harmful gases, fine particles, and chemicals,” says Colin Murray, senior manager in WorkSafeBC’s Risk Analysis Unit. “Prolonged exposure can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, an aggravation of asthma, eye irritation, and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.” Individual responses to smoke vary, with certain groups being more vulnerable to its health impacts. Specific worker populations should limit their exposure, including those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and diabetes; pregnant individuals; elderly people; and those with current or recent respiratory infections such as COVID-19. Healthy individuals can also be affected and should watch for symptoms…
For cancer to be considered a compensable consequence of a traumatic injury, WorkSafeBC policy sets out five criteria that must be met. Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to update this policy to reflect current medical literature. The discussion paper and information on how to provide feedback can be found here: 
This resource outlines the key regulatory requirements when operating logging equipment on steep slopes. It includes the specific requirements for steep slope logging as well as some of the requirements for all workplaces that are most relevant for this type of forestry operation. Note that the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation and Workers Compensation Act references included here are not a complete list. As an employer it is your responsibility to understand and apply all relevant regulatory requirements. 
Officials are warning British Columbians of a heat wave starting over the weekend, but say it won’t reach the extremes of the 2021 heat dome. This warning comes as 399 wildfires continue to burn across B.C. with most parts of the province experiencing drought conditions predicted to last into the fall and beyond. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma Aug. 10 issued the warning about the upcoming heat event as part of an update about the latest drought and wildfire conditions. …Ma extended Henry’s appeal to other areas in urging British Columbians to conserve water. “Every drop counts,” Ma said in pointing out that more than 80 per cent of the province’s 34 water basins are currently experiencing either the worst or second-worst drought rating. She also said that that the province has been preparing plans to ship potable water to communities affected by drought… She acknowledged that current drought conditions not only remain “concerning” but “unprecedented.”
Researchers discovered that wildfire smoke can trigger long-lasting inflammation in the brain. Their study shows that this inflammation specifically targets the hippocampus, a brain area crucial for learning and memory. Using rodents exposed to wood smoke, the scientists identified changes in neurotransmitters and signaling molecules in the brain that lasted for over a month. The findings highlight an urgent concern for populations regularly exposed to wildfire smoke, including older adults and those with respiratory conditions. A new paper published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation gives new cause for alarm, finding that wildfire smoke can trigger inflammation in the brain that persists for a month or more. Worse, the inflammatory process affects the hippocampus – the brain region associated with learning and memory – altering neurotransmitters and signaling molecules.
CABAZON, California— Two firefighting helicopters collided while responding to a blaze in Southern California, sending one to the ground in a crash that killed all three people on board. The crash late Sunday afternoon in the desert about 85 miles east of Los Angeles involved a huge Sikorsky S-64E and a smaller Bell 407. The larger Sikorsky landed safely. …The Bell helicopter was being used for observation and coordination, Fulcher said. The Sikorsky can drop water or retardant on fires. Fulcher said he did not know whether it was loaded at the time of the crash. The victims were Cal Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, 46, Cal Fire Capt. Tim Rodriguez, 44, and contract pilot Tony Sousa, 55, the firefighting agency said. …The Bell crew’s mission was to tell helicopters where to make drops, Cordova said. The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Exposure to wildfire smoke and air pollution from farming operations could be making Americans more susceptible to developing dementia, a recent study found. It’s among a growing body of research to draw attention to the long-term health impacts of wildfire smoke as climate change drives increasingly destructive, deadly and smoky blazes around the world. The 
A Wisconsin sawmill operator has said it will stop employing children after the “devastating” loss of a teenager who died on the job this summer. That pledge came after the US Department of Labor accused the company of risking kids’ lives for profit. In July, 16-year-old Michael Schuls died of “traumatic asphyxia,” two days after he became trapped on a conveyor for freshly cut stacks of lumber while working at Florence Hardwoods. …Under federal law, no one under the age of 18 is supposed to be employed in a “hazardous” occupation, which the department explicitly defines to include sawmills. …Florence Hardwoods has agreed to stop hiring anyone under the age of 18, and to pay $190,696 in civil fines. …Some states have also expanded the ability of children to work in hazardous occupations… provided they are part of an educational or work training program.
