FUTURE Projects

In partnership with the University of Arizona, NC State University, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo we are working on understanding how certain interventions can help reduce cancer and health risks for our wildland/WUI firefighters. This includes evaluating new dermal protective PPE, respiratory protection and clean cab protocols. Check back for more information as those projects continue. 

We know that firefighters work under intense conditions across long shifts, often spending days or weeks at a time on large-scale WUI and wildland fires. We are trying to understand how this impacts their safety and risk, and what can be done to help improve their health and wellness. 

We are currently working with CAL FIRE, the IAFF, and CR&R Environmental, Inc. to develop new training and education programs for waste truck fires. 

Under the best of conditions, waste hauling can be a dangerous job, with hazardous materials often placed in trash collection bins by both commercial and residential customers. In today’s modern and technologically intensive environment, that risk is compounded as batteries and electronics are unlawfully discarded into our waste stream, causing the incidence of “hot loads” in waste trucks to dramatically increase.