COVINGTON, Ky. — While Kentucky hasn't seen the red-tinted, ominous skies that other parts of the country have as a result of Canadian wildfires, the Commonwealth has felt the effects of those fires, and the smoke they’ve produced.
However, while state is not likely to see any forest fires any time soon, smoke from any fire can cause a lot of damage.
Captain Richard McFarland of the Covington Fire Department said all smoke has the potential to be dangerous and requires a healthy amount of respect.
“Because generally people are able to get away from the heat of the fire, the fire itself, but the smoke travels a lot faster than the actual flames,” McFarland said.
Smoke inhalation is the most common health effect McFarland has seen with structure fires during his 17 years as a paramedic with the Covington Fire Department.
It can happen fast.
“[Smoke inhalation happens] — in some circumstances — almost immediately, if you’re an impaired individual with a weakened immune system, or you have a chronic condition,” McFarland said. “We just tell people to get out as fast as you can. The old saying, 'stay low and go.' You just got to get below the smoke and get out if you’re able to.”
CFD Lt. Jimmy Adams, who’s been a firefighter for 33 years, knows the effects of smoke inhalation all too well.
“When I started, we weren’t as vigilant about wearing our respiratory protection. And I ended up with some smoke inhalation in a fire,” Adams said.
When Adams was teaching other firefighters in Pennsylvania last weekend, he saw the skies start to change.
“For firefighters, we kind of giggle, because we’re used to smoke,” Adams said.
Fires like the ones going on in Canada can’t be stopped, just contained; that can take weeks. In the meantime, the effects can be felt all over the continent, even in Kentucky. Luckily, Adams said, people in northern Kentucky shouldn’t expect to ever see anything close to the scale of the Canadian wildfires.
“We’ve seen some brush fires. Nothing I would call a forest fire. Our humidity levels here generally keep those types of things from happening. But that is a different type of work. It is very labor intensive. So yeah, I have respect for those guys,” Adams said.
To even respond to fires such as those, Kentucky firefighters would be required to take forest fire training. Adams said those opportunities are limited, but could be expanded in the future.
However, the structure fires he and McFarland are used to fighting are also more dangerous than they were 50 years ago because of the prominence of plastics.
The increased risk of lung cancer that firefighters face, even with modern respiratory equipment, is something McFarland thinks about when he goes to bed at night.
“Knowing that the next day, though, you’re going to go help someday and make a positive impact, that’s what keeps most of us going forward and coming back,” he said.
CFD wants to remind people to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors at home, and check with their local fire department before starting a fire outside, to make sure it’s safe.