The more than 7,500 personnel working on wildfires around the state of Oregon face multiple hazards as they battle blazes in steep, dense terrain.
Travis Doggett is a team lead for Umpqua Valley Ambulance Rescue working on the Holiday Farm Fire east of Springfield. He says firefighters can suffer from a variety of ailments while out on the fire lines.
“It can really be anything from a bee sting to trip and injure an ankle, to a tree falling on an individual and hitting them on their head,” said Doggett. He adds that this is “along with any other multitude of medical issues that can occur: just chest pains, shortness of breath, stuff like that as well.”
Fire camps have medical tents where firefighters can get treatment for any kind of injury or illness. Camps are also taking extra precautions to keep fire crews healthy amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including required masks, temperature checks, and numerous hand sanitizing stations.
Copyright 2020, KLCC