Angus Duguid’s Respire aimed at addressing lack of suitable respirators in the industry
British Columbia wildland firefighter Angus Duguid loves his job, but he doesn’t love waking up with headaches or a clogged nose from inhaling smoke.
The result is Respire, a sleek-looking respirator that looks something like a scuba-diving mouthpiece and is much smaller than current commercially available respirators. The BC Wildfire Service said online last month that respiratory protection certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health was made available to all operational staff this wildfire season, on a “non-mandatory, opt-in” basis.
Last year’s wildfire season was “particularly bad” said Duguid and his crew spent lots of time in smoke that he said was sometimes an “unavoidable” part of the job.For example, he said some working days last 16 hours, with firefighters hiking up hills and carrying 100 pounds of gear and breathing hard, and other times breathing much easier. The key was to come up with a respirator that could be easily deployed for short periods and then quickly removed many times a day.
Calgary-based emergency physician Dr. Joe Vipond said wildfire smoke contains gases and small particles of pollution known as PM 2.5, which can burn eyes and irritate respiratory tracts, making people cough or feel short of breath.
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B.C. wildland firefighter worried about smoke hazards. So he designed a solutionBritish Columbia wildland firefighter Angus Duguid loves his job, but he doesn't love waking up with headaches or a clogged nose from inhaling smoke.
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