Description

Presenting research showing that firefighters experience great variability in exposures to smoke depending on the type and duration of tasks performed and atmospheric conditions. The greatest exposures were associated with direct attack, line holding, and burnout activities. Only a portion of firefighters were exposed to CO levels in excess of NIOSH safety limits across the duration of the shift, however a number of periods of short exposures to high concentrations were observed within shifts punctuated with clean air periods which rapidly mitigated these high exposures.