Re: Fort McMurray fire a carbon catastrophe
They should have taxed the fire. All that carbon revenue has been lost!
They should have taxed the fire. All that carbon revenue has been lost!
Fort McMurray under seige...
- Thread starter Nick Danger
- Start date
Re: Fort McMurray fire a carbon catastrophe
Ski......you should have color coded your post for the clueless......
I think basically if they tell you to leave it's probably best to get the f**k out as, as you say your insurance maybe compromised in certain aspects. I think what the cops did in High River is criminal & depending on the damage they did you could sue them. (if you could prove it was them who broke in)
The Mother of all fires at the time. The dollar value of the damage at dollar values of the day is interesting (couldn't find the conversion to 2015 $) 2 cents on the dollar is probably a good estimate.
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/scv/scv871.pdf
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/scv/scv871.pdf
Re: Fort McMurray fire a carbon catastrophe
So WTF? What a complete waste of taxpayer funds. This is just another indicator the whole carbon/climate change bullsh*t is a govt cash grab backed by people who want to keep their $100k/yr govt salary.
You can leave...I'll stay. I do not need to be babysat by bureaucrats who haven't worked a day outside in their lives and are more concerned with control of the population than our rights and freedoms. Point is they can use the word "mandatory" all they want but there is no lawful authority in any law for them to physically force you to go. It is your choice in the end.
So WTF? What a complete waste of taxpayer funds. This is just another indicator the whole carbon/climate change bullsh*t is a govt cash grab backed by people who want to keep their $100k/yr govt salary.
You can leave...I'll stay. I do not need to be babysat by bureaucrats who haven't worked a day outside in their lives and are more concerned with control of the population than our rights and freedoms. Point is they can use the word "mandatory" all they want but there is no lawful authority in any law for them to physically force you to go. It is your choice in the end.
Re: Fort McMurray fire a carbon catastrophe
I hear you Nick. Speaking for myself and my family, we are not experts in the behaviour of fires. If a boy from the office came over and advised me to leave, I would probably question the request (order), but if a fireman with 20 years experience advised me, I would get his name and badge # and get the f**k out pronto.
I would say if you are uncertain of your level of expertise do what you are told by a professional. You are just walking away from material and stuff. Your right are fine and good so long as you are alive. It's not a time for a pissing contest!
I hear you Nick. Speaking for myself and my family, we are not experts in the behaviour of fires. If a boy from the office came over and advised me to leave, I would probably question the request (order), but if a fireman with 20 years experience advised me, I would get his name and badge # and get the f**k out pronto.
I would say if you are uncertain of your level of expertise do what you are told by a professional. You are just walking away from material and stuff. Your right are fine and good so long as you are alive. It's not a time for a pissing contest! 
Nickelback to headline Fort McMurray 'Fire Aid' benefit concert at Commonwealth June 29
By Fish Griwkowsky, Postmedia Network
First posted: Thursday, May 26, 2016 01:18 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, May 26, 2016 02:59 PM EDT
The biggest Fort McMurray wildfire benefit yet is coming to Commonwealth Stadium Wednesday, June 29, with a lineup including Nickelback, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund and Dean Brody.
The concert, officially named Fire Aid for Fort McMurray, was announced Thursday morning at the Commonwealth Stadium Recreation Centre. The roster also includes the Rankin Family, Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel, Randy Bachman, the Sadies, Ian Tyson, Alan Doyle, Dear Rouge and High Valley
The event’s banner includes a subtitle, “show goes rain or shine, praying for rain.”
Tim Shipton, volunteer committee member, “You really can move mountains and move aside self-interest for the greater good.”
“It will bring together the community in support and celebration of that amazing city to the north Fort McMurray.”
Organizers of the event consist of volunteers from across the province, including staff of the Edmonton Eskimos, Oilers Entertainment Group, Live Nation and Northlands. The event’s hashtag is #fireaid4ymm. Initial planning started at a Calgary pub in Calgary on May 9.
The Edmonton Music Awards, originally scheduled for the same night at Winspear Centre, graciously moved their gala up one day to Tuesday, June 28. All tickets purchased for that event are transferrable, full refunds to anyone unable to attend. “We don’t want anyone excluded from participating in what will be a very successful and worthy Fort McMurray fundraising effort,” declared a statement from EMA.
A wildfire forced more than 80,000 people from Fort McMurray and the surrounding area to evacuate on May 3. A phased re-entry is scheduled to begin June 1.
“The wildfires have affected the entire country," said Nickelback's Ryan Peake. "The devastation, images and stories of the lives shattered by this resonate with everyone; but, perhaps none more so than Albertans. Alberta is home for us and we’ve never shied from that. When tragedy strikes at home, you help. It’s the least we could do and we are humbled to be a part of this event with so many talented artists. So many people have answered the call for help already. This is the least we can do and we hope that our efforts can assist those that need it most.”
Tickets to the 5 p.m. show range from $35 to $99.
fgriwkowsky@edmontonjournal.com
@fisheyefoto
Supplied
Nickelback to headline Fort McMurray 'Fire Aid' benefit concert at Commonwealth
fireaid
By Fish Griwkowsky, Postmedia Network
First posted: Thursday, May 26, 2016 01:18 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, May 26, 2016 02:59 PM EDT
The biggest Fort McMurray wildfire benefit yet is coming to Commonwealth Stadium Wednesday, June 29, with a lineup including Nickelback, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund and Dean Brody.
The concert, officially named Fire Aid for Fort McMurray, was announced Thursday morning at the Commonwealth Stadium Recreation Centre. The roster also includes the Rankin Family, Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel, Randy Bachman, the Sadies, Ian Tyson, Alan Doyle, Dear Rouge and High Valley
The event’s banner includes a subtitle, “show goes rain or shine, praying for rain.”
Tim Shipton, volunteer committee member, “You really can move mountains and move aside self-interest for the greater good.”
“It will bring together the community in support and celebration of that amazing city to the north Fort McMurray.”
Organizers of the event consist of volunteers from across the province, including staff of the Edmonton Eskimos, Oilers Entertainment Group, Live Nation and Northlands. The event’s hashtag is #fireaid4ymm. Initial planning started at a Calgary pub in Calgary on May 9.
The Edmonton Music Awards, originally scheduled for the same night at Winspear Centre, graciously moved their gala up one day to Tuesday, June 28. All tickets purchased for that event are transferrable, full refunds to anyone unable to attend. “We don’t want anyone excluded from participating in what will be a very successful and worthy Fort McMurray fundraising effort,” declared a statement from EMA.
A wildfire forced more than 80,000 people from Fort McMurray and the surrounding area to evacuate on May 3. A phased re-entry is scheduled to begin June 1.
“The wildfires have affected the entire country," said Nickelback's Ryan Peake. "The devastation, images and stories of the lives shattered by this resonate with everyone; but, perhaps none more so than Albertans. Alberta is home for us and we’ve never shied from that. When tragedy strikes at home, you help. It’s the least we could do and we are humbled to be a part of this event with so many talented artists. So many people have answered the call for help already. This is the least we can do and we hope that our efforts can assist those that need it most.”
Tickets to the 5 p.m. show range from $35 to $99.
fgriwkowsky@edmontonjournal.com
@fisheyefoto
Supplied
Nickelback to headline Fort McMurray 'Fire Aid' benefit concert at Commonwealth
fireaid
Activist Naomi Klein links Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change at University of Calgary speech
By Colette Derworiz, Postmedia
First posted: Sunday, May 29, 2016 08:19 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 30, 2016 12:33 AM EDT
Activist Naomi Klein ruffled some feathers in the heart of Alberta’s oilpatch Sunday, linking the devastating Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change and calling for an end to fossil fuels.
Speaking at Congress 2016, which is being held at the University of Calgary, Klein said last year’s Paris climate change agreement didn’t go far enough.
“It is a breakthrough and, if it’s all we do, it will be an ecological disaster,” she told the crowd of almost 500 people.
“If we are serious about keeping warming below 1.5 C, it does kind of mean the end of the fossil fuel era, which I know is a little bit hard to hear in this city.”
Klein, who backed what she acknowledged as controversial statements with science, then posted several “harrowing images” of the wildfire in Fort McMurray and made the link to climate change.
“This is, yes, El Nino, but it is El Nino supercharged with climate change,” she said.
“This is not a controversial statement. Climate scientists are saying this around the world and every serious international publication has linked the fires with climate change.”
Despite her attempts to temper her statements, some audience members still suggested her statements were inappropriate.
“There is some tenderness in Alberta,” said Donna Kennedy-Glans, a former Conservative MLA.
“To take our tragedy and turn it into part of your advocacy feels inappropriate.”
It’s not the first time Klein has been at the centre of a controversy in the province.
Just last month, she was involved in bringing forward the LEAP Manifesto, which advocates a quick end to fossil fuels, to the NDP’s national convention.
It led to Alberta’s NDP Premier Rachel Notley distancing herself from the federal party because of the document’s opposition to pipelines and plan to phase out the use of fossil fuels within a generation.
Klein did praise the Notley government Sunday for its “historic” climate change plan, but suggested it’s simply not enough.
Officials with the U of C said Klein’s overall message is an important one to foster debate both in Alberta and across Canada.
“Bringing Naomi Klein here to engage in what is a really challenging and difficult question about what responsibility we have for transitioning away from fossils fuels, if that’s indeed what we are going to do, these are important questions,” said Richard Sigurdson, dean of arts for the University of Calgary.
He said it’s a university’s role to bring forward all of the different points of view.
cderworiz@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @cderworiz
Anti-capitalism activist and author Naomi Klein spoke at Congress 2016, an academic gathering being hosted by the University of Calgary. Photo: David Kotsibie/For the University of Calgary
Activist Naomi Klein links Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change at Universit
By Colette Derworiz, Postmedia
First posted: Sunday, May 29, 2016 08:19 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 30, 2016 12:33 AM EDT
Activist Naomi Klein ruffled some feathers in the heart of Alberta’s oilpatch Sunday, linking the devastating Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change and calling for an end to fossil fuels.
Speaking at Congress 2016, which is being held at the University of Calgary, Klein said last year’s Paris climate change agreement didn’t go far enough.
“It is a breakthrough and, if it’s all we do, it will be an ecological disaster,” she told the crowd of almost 500 people.
“If we are serious about keeping warming below 1.5 C, it does kind of mean the end of the fossil fuel era, which I know is a little bit hard to hear in this city.”
Klein, who backed what she acknowledged as controversial statements with science, then posted several “harrowing images” of the wildfire in Fort McMurray and made the link to climate change.
“This is, yes, El Nino, but it is El Nino supercharged with climate change,” she said.
“This is not a controversial statement. Climate scientists are saying this around the world and every serious international publication has linked the fires with climate change.”
Despite her attempts to temper her statements, some audience members still suggested her statements were inappropriate.
“There is some tenderness in Alberta,” said Donna Kennedy-Glans, a former Conservative MLA.
“To take our tragedy and turn it into part of your advocacy feels inappropriate.”
It’s not the first time Klein has been at the centre of a controversy in the province.
Just last month, she was involved in bringing forward the LEAP Manifesto, which advocates a quick end to fossil fuels, to the NDP’s national convention.
It led to Alberta’s NDP Premier Rachel Notley distancing herself from the federal party because of the document’s opposition to pipelines and plan to phase out the use of fossil fuels within a generation.
Klein did praise the Notley government Sunday for its “historic” climate change plan, but suggested it’s simply not enough.
Officials with the U of C said Klein’s overall message is an important one to foster debate both in Alberta and across Canada.
“Bringing Naomi Klein here to engage in what is a really challenging and difficult question about what responsibility we have for transitioning away from fossils fuels, if that’s indeed what we are going to do, these are important questions,” said Richard Sigurdson, dean of arts for the University of Calgary.
He said it’s a university’s role to bring forward all of the different points of view.
cderworiz@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @cderworiz
Anti-capitalism activist and author Naomi Klein spoke at Congress 2016, an academic gathering being hosted by the University of Calgary. Photo: David Kotsibie/For the University of Calgary
Activist Naomi Klein links Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change at Universit
Lots & lots of Bad News on the way
Hundreds of undamaged Fort McMurray homes declared unsafe due to toxic ash
Premier says 'safety and health remain our top priority' as return delayed for some residents
The devastated neighbourhood of Abasand is shown in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Friday, May 13, 2016. Some homes that weren't damaged in the fire are still unfit for habitation right now, officials say, citing health and safety concerns.
With residents set to start returning to Fort McMurray in two days, the premier announced Monday that hundreds of undamaged homes in neighbourhoods hardest hit by the wildfire are not safe to live in.
Tests done near those homes show ash and soil in the area contain substances like arsenic and other heavy metals.
Fort McMurray businesses eager to get back to community
Hospital services in Fort McMurray being phased in as residents get set to return
"Unfortunately, I have to report today that the outcome of these tests indicate that undamaged homes in certain neighbourhoods are not immediately safe for reoccupation," Premier Rachel Notley said Monday afternoon.
"I realize this will be difficult news for people to hear who were expecting to return to their homes later this week," Notley said. "But as always, safety and health remain our top priority."
'It's the craziest thing'
Jessica Rejman's home in the Waterways neighbourhood is one of those declared unsafe.
"If you look at the whole block, our homes look OK," she said. "There doesn't look like there is anything wrong with them."
However the homes across the street from hers were destroyed, she said.
"There are only two on that block that made it. It basically burned a semi-circle around (our homes), and I don't how it did that. It's the craziest thing.
Notley's announcement did not come as a complete surprise, she said.
Hundreds of undamaged Fort McMurray homes declared unsafe due to toxic ash
Premier says 'safety and health remain our top priority' as return delayed for some residents
The devastated neighbourhood of Abasand is shown in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Friday, May 13, 2016. Some homes that weren't damaged in the fire are still unfit for habitation right now, officials say, citing health and safety concerns.
With residents set to start returning to Fort McMurray in two days, the premier announced Monday that hundreds of undamaged homes in neighbourhoods hardest hit by the wildfire are not safe to live in.
Tests done near those homes show ash and soil in the area contain substances like arsenic and other heavy metals.
Fort McMurray businesses eager to get back to community
Hospital services in Fort McMurray being phased in as residents get set to return
"Unfortunately, I have to report today that the outcome of these tests indicate that undamaged homes in certain neighbourhoods are not immediately safe for reoccupation," Premier Rachel Notley said Monday afternoon.
"I realize this will be difficult news for people to hear who were expecting to return to their homes later this week," Notley said. "But as always, safety and health remain our top priority."
'It's the craziest thing'
Jessica Rejman's home in the Waterways neighbourhood is one of those declared unsafe.
"If you look at the whole block, our homes look OK," she said. "There doesn't look like there is anything wrong with them."
However the homes across the street from hers were destroyed, she said.
"There are only two on that block that made it. It basically burned a semi-circle around (our homes), and I don't how it did that. It's the craziest thing.
Notley's announcement did not come as a complete surprise, she said.
Premier Notley praises Fort McMurray hamster rescue
David Staples
First posted: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 09:19 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 02, 2016 11:41 AM EDT
The rescue of two hamsters in the aftermath of the Fort McMurray wildfire earned the praise of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.
On Wednesday, Notley praised Fort McMurray municipal bylaw officers for conducting the largest pet evacuation in Canadian history, then added: “I heard today of a bylaw officer who rescued a hamster that was found weeks after the fire, who took the time to call up its five-year-old owner to tell her the pet was safe and sound.”
There were actually two hamsters saved, Jack and Peanut. Jack belongs to Isaac Leamon, 6. Peanut belongs to his step-sister Rebecca Villa, 5. The kids got them six months ago, says Isaac’s dad Dorman.
On the day of the evacuation, there was no room for Jack and Peanut’s large cages in the family’s packed vehicle. Dorman packed their cages with food and water and figured they would have enough for weeks. At the same time, he had no idea the evacuation would last so long.
The family ended up staying in a donated house outside of Tofield. As days passed, Dorman started to feel guilty about leaving the hamsters behind. One morning Isaac woke up sobbing, telling his dad: “I really want to go home. I want to see my hamster Jack. He’s probably really hungry.”
Such was the boy’s distress that Dorman wondered if he should return home on a rescue mission. His wife Donna said such heroics weren’t needed, as a pet-rescue system was in place.
Donna made a request and on May 20, animal control officers Stacey-Lynn St. Germain and her partner went into the apartment and rescued the two hamsters. As she usually does in such situations, St. Germain placed a call to the owners, with Donna putting her on speakerphone so little Rebecca and Isaac could hear the good news.
“I was so happy, I was so amazed,” Dorman says of the phone call and rescue. “It’s just one of the many things that has really touched me and my family since the evacuation … It makes you believe in humanity again, for sure.”
St. Germain also felt good about the rescue. “I’ve been doing this job a long time and we deal with a lot of really sad things, so when we can give just a little piece of happiness, it really makes all the struggles we go through really worth it, especially when it belongs to a child and you hear how happy that child is now.”
Premier Notley praises Fort McMurray hamster rescue | Canada | News | Toronto Su
David Staples
First posted: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 09:19 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 02, 2016 11:41 AM EDT
The rescue of two hamsters in the aftermath of the Fort McMurray wildfire earned the praise of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.
On Wednesday, Notley praised Fort McMurray municipal bylaw officers for conducting the largest pet evacuation in Canadian history, then added: “I heard today of a bylaw officer who rescued a hamster that was found weeks after the fire, who took the time to call up its five-year-old owner to tell her the pet was safe and sound.”
There were actually two hamsters saved, Jack and Peanut. Jack belongs to Isaac Leamon, 6. Peanut belongs to his step-sister Rebecca Villa, 5. The kids got them six months ago, says Isaac’s dad Dorman.
On the day of the evacuation, there was no room for Jack and Peanut’s large cages in the family’s packed vehicle. Dorman packed their cages with food and water and figured they would have enough for weeks. At the same time, he had no idea the evacuation would last so long.
The family ended up staying in a donated house outside of Tofield. As days passed, Dorman started to feel guilty about leaving the hamsters behind. One morning Isaac woke up sobbing, telling his dad: “I really want to go home. I want to see my hamster Jack. He’s probably really hungry.”
Such was the boy’s distress that Dorman wondered if he should return home on a rescue mission. His wife Donna said such heroics weren’t needed, as a pet-rescue system was in place.
Donna made a request and on May 20, animal control officers Stacey-Lynn St. Germain and her partner went into the apartment and rescued the two hamsters. As she usually does in such situations, St. Germain placed a call to the owners, with Donna putting her on speakerphone so little Rebecca and Isaac could hear the good news.
“I was so happy, I was so amazed,” Dorman says of the phone call and rescue. “It’s just one of the many things that has really touched me and my family since the evacuation … It makes you believe in humanity again, for sure.”
St. Germain also felt good about the rescue. “I’ve been doing this job a long time and we deal with a lot of really sad things, so when we can give just a little piece of happiness, it really makes all the struggles we go through really worth it, especially when it belongs to a child and you hear how happy that child is now.”
Premier Notley praises Fort McMurray hamster rescue | Canada | News | Toronto Su
Fort McMurray firefighters face shorter lifespan
Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press
First posted: Monday, July 11, 2016 12:47 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, July 11, 2016 04:12 PM EDT
Many Fort McMurray firefighters, unable to wear their usual air masks while battling a giant wildfire that attacked the northern Alberta city, are being screened for health problems because they spent several days breathing in hazardous smoke.
Some of the 180 crew have developed a persistent cough, says firefighter Nick Waddington, president of the Fort McMurray branch of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Results of lung and blood tests will be private. But Waddington predicts the firefighters will need ongoing support and possible treatment for serious illnesses over the next 10 to 20 years.
"Realistically, a lot of our guys, their lives are going to be shortened because of this incident," Waddington says bluntly. "When you compound that with everything that we're going to have in our careers, we're definitely going to be in a high risk."
The fire spread into the oilsands capital on May 3 and forced more than 80,000 people to leave. It destroyed roughly 2,400 homes and other buildings — about one-tenth of the city. Firefighters were credited with saving the rest of the community.
Municipal crews were assisted in the following days by firefighters from other communities and wildland firefighters from across Canada and other countries — about 2,200 in all.
But the hometown crew was there first, working around the clock, when the forest fire morphed into an urban blaze and moved from timber to buildings with toxins in vinyl siding, treated lumber and furniture.
Firefighters "would have been out there for long periods of time sucking in the smoke," says Fort McMurray fire Chief Darby Allen.
He explains that municipal firefighters normally wear a self-contained breathing apparatus. The air in the tanks might last up to an hour — enough time for going into a single house fire, but not for a marathon shift fighting flames consuming hundreds of homes.
"We didn't have time to get back to the hall to charge (the tanks)."
Forest crews sometimes wear particulate filter masks. Waddington says those P100 masks aren't stocked in large numbers at municipal fire stations. Pallets of them arrived a few days after the fire raced into the city.
But wearing such masks is a "double-edge sword," Waddington says. The filters make it harder to breathe and can get plugged.
And the half-masks can cause safety glasses and visors to fog, says Jamie Coutts, fire chief of Slave Lake, Alta.
"How do you wear that for six days?" he says.
Coutts and 13 Slave Lake firefighters helped during the initial days of the Fort McMurray fire and he says he didn't get a filter mask.
He also didn't have one during a forest fire that spread into his town in 2011 and destroyed about 400 buildings.
In the months after that fire, members of the Slave Lake crew developed chest infections and nose and throat problems, Coutts says. He was diagnosed with asthma and later lung sarcoidosis, although he says the disease can't be directly linked to the fire.
After Coutts got home from Fort McMurray, he was coughing and wheezing again and couldn't run up the stairs, he says.
"I'm a firefighter. I've got a better-than-average chance of dying of cancer. It is what it is."
Coutts says experts need to come up with a better way to protect crews when forest fires move into urban area.
"They're going to have to make better particulate masks."
Peter Krich, president of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association, says his group may look at whether filter masks should be stocked in communities in forested areas.
The Fort McMurray fire was unusually large, Krich points out. "You're not just fighting one fire. You're fighting two fires, three, four, five ... It was going on and on and you could never stop."
The challenge, he says, is that firefighters will do whatever it takes without thinking of their health.
"We have to learn," he says. "Hopefully we can ... be more prepared or help each other better in the event of something of this nature happening ever again."
— With files from Lauren Krugel
Fort McMurray firefighters face shorter lifespan | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press
First posted: Monday, July 11, 2016 12:47 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, July 11, 2016 04:12 PM EDT
Many Fort McMurray firefighters, unable to wear their usual air masks while battling a giant wildfire that attacked the northern Alberta city, are being screened for health problems because they spent several days breathing in hazardous smoke.
Some of the 180 crew have developed a persistent cough, says firefighter Nick Waddington, president of the Fort McMurray branch of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Results of lung and blood tests will be private. But Waddington predicts the firefighters will need ongoing support and possible treatment for serious illnesses over the next 10 to 20 years.
"Realistically, a lot of our guys, their lives are going to be shortened because of this incident," Waddington says bluntly. "When you compound that with everything that we're going to have in our careers, we're definitely going to be in a high risk."
The fire spread into the oilsands capital on May 3 and forced more than 80,000 people to leave. It destroyed roughly 2,400 homes and other buildings — about one-tenth of the city. Firefighters were credited with saving the rest of the community.
Municipal crews were assisted in the following days by firefighters from other communities and wildland firefighters from across Canada and other countries — about 2,200 in all.
But the hometown crew was there first, working around the clock, when the forest fire morphed into an urban blaze and moved from timber to buildings with toxins in vinyl siding, treated lumber and furniture.
Firefighters "would have been out there for long periods of time sucking in the smoke," says Fort McMurray fire Chief Darby Allen.
He explains that municipal firefighters normally wear a self-contained breathing apparatus. The air in the tanks might last up to an hour — enough time for going into a single house fire, but not for a marathon shift fighting flames consuming hundreds of homes.
"We didn't have time to get back to the hall to charge (the tanks)."
Forest crews sometimes wear particulate filter masks. Waddington says those P100 masks aren't stocked in large numbers at municipal fire stations. Pallets of them arrived a few days after the fire raced into the city.
But wearing such masks is a "double-edge sword," Waddington says. The filters make it harder to breathe and can get plugged.
And the half-masks can cause safety glasses and visors to fog, says Jamie Coutts, fire chief of Slave Lake, Alta.
"How do you wear that for six days?" he says.
Coutts and 13 Slave Lake firefighters helped during the initial days of the Fort McMurray fire and he says he didn't get a filter mask.
He also didn't have one during a forest fire that spread into his town in 2011 and destroyed about 400 buildings.
In the months after that fire, members of the Slave Lake crew developed chest infections and nose and throat problems, Coutts says. He was diagnosed with asthma and later lung sarcoidosis, although he says the disease can't be directly linked to the fire.
After Coutts got home from Fort McMurray, he was coughing and wheezing again and couldn't run up the stairs, he says.
"I'm a firefighter. I've got a better-than-average chance of dying of cancer. It is what it is."
Coutts says experts need to come up with a better way to protect crews when forest fires move into urban area.
"They're going to have to make better particulate masks."
Peter Krich, president of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association, says his group may look at whether filter masks should be stocked in communities in forested areas.
The Fort McMurray fire was unusually large, Krich points out. "You're not just fighting one fire. You're fighting two fires, three, four, five ... It was going on and on and you could never stop."
The challenge, he says, is that firefighters will do whatever it takes without thinking of their health.
"We have to learn," he says. "Hopefully we can ... be more prepared or help each other better in the event of something of this nature happening ever again."
— With files from Lauren Krugel
Fort McMurray firefighters face shorter lifespan | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Re: Fort McMurray fire a carbon catastrophe
You have already looked into it ? :lol:
You have already looked into it ? :lol:
No doubt it will be many years before the full cost of this fire will be recognized. Just hope the medical profession has some tricks up their sleeves, so the impact is minimal on the ones who least deserve it. Hope the insurance profession has lots of cheques in their cheque book!
Really??? Somehow I see the victims being charged a lot of money or be told there is nothing wrong and therefore no treatment is needed.
If it was dust from black dirt it would contain some bacteria and that might find a home in the lungs and in old age become the leading cause of ill health. Something that kills pathogens is needed and the victim is going to be able to do a better job of that than looking at the medical community for the 'cure'. They could be used to monitor the victim as he improves his own health. Bacteria would have a different 'cure' than 'ash' as that turns into an acid (a cup of ash is enough to strip all the hair off a hide if you are tanning it, takes a week at most) and any particles would be sharp if I'm not mistaken) At the moment I'm not aware that ozone would work on ash as well as it would work on bacteria from black dirt, for instance) The smell of the fire would be around for a long time and that would get into all fabric in the houses, the same ozone machine could be left running and it should neutralize the smoke smell in rugs and couches and all other fabrics if they are hung up. (the kick-as* method would be to crank it up and lock the house for a day or so and have it turn off a few hours before you come back
I recently read the MSD on ozone as there are lots of articles that caution against inhaling it directly. It loses on oxygen molecule within 1 hour so it then become 02. The 'cure' for somebody who is over-exposed is to give them oxygen, I kid you not, that is when I gave up on finding anything that would make low levels of ozone unsafe for anybody. Bubble it through water and drink the water within 10 minutes or it loses a lot of ozone, the side effect you might get is being lightheaded, like mild laughing gas. You should avoid inhaling it directly as it might cause you to get lightheaded??? Really???
Ash would have cause pneumonia like conditions as far as fluid in the lungs and that would be the root cause of other ailments such as short of breath, sweating, panic episodes, anger (hysterics) episodes and a few more no doubt. If breathing is causing them to get less 02 than their body is used to then ozone might help, The good news is creating is simple compared to an oil extraction plant and it takes a lot less electricity and the DYI can be build from scrap parts for about $30. State of the art that is meant to run for years needs to be made out of stainless steel and glass or it will need repairs sometime as ozone will damage the material where it is being made in high concentrations. The other good news is you will be able to tell in a few days if it is helping you and if it is leave it plugged in for a year and check on your condition.
Time for my glass of water, sorry, meds.
If it was dust from black dirt it would contain some bacteria and that might find a home in the lungs and in old age become the leading cause of ill health. Something that kills pathogens is needed and the victim is going to be able to do a better job of that than looking at the medical community for the 'cure'. They could be used to monitor the victim as he improves his own health. Bacteria would have a different 'cure' than 'ash' as that turns into an acid (a cup of ash is enough to strip all the hair off a hide if you are tanning it, takes a week at most) and any particles would be sharp if I'm not mistaken) At the moment I'm not aware that ozone would work on ash as well as it would work on bacteria from black dirt, for instance) The smell of the fire would be around for a long time and that would get into all fabric in the houses, the same ozone machine could be left running and it should neutralize the smoke smell in rugs and couches and all other fabrics if they are hung up. (the kick-as* method would be to crank it up and lock the house for a day or so and have it turn off a few hours before you come back
I recently read the MSD on ozone as there are lots of articles that caution against inhaling it directly. It loses on oxygen molecule within 1 hour so it then become 02. The 'cure' for somebody who is over-exposed is to give them oxygen, I kid you not, that is when I gave up on finding anything that would make low levels of ozone unsafe for anybody. Bubble it through water and drink the water within 10 minutes or it loses a lot of ozone, the side effect you might get is being lightheaded, like mild laughing gas. You should avoid inhaling it directly as it might cause you to get lightheaded??? Really???
Ash would have cause pneumonia like conditions as far as fluid in the lungs and that would be the root cause of other ailments such as short of breath, sweating, panic episodes, anger (hysterics) episodes and a few more no doubt. If breathing is causing them to get less 02 than their body is used to then ozone might help, The good news is creating is simple compared to an oil extraction plant and it takes a lot less electricity and the DYI can be build from scrap parts for about $30. State of the art that is meant to run for years needs to be made out of stainless steel and glass or it will need repairs sometime as ozone will damage the material where it is being made in high concentrations. The other good news is you will be able to tell in a few days if it is helping you and if it is leave it plugged in for a year and check on your condition.
Time for my glass of water, sorry, meds.