Fort McMurray wildfire’s effect on firefighters’ health being studied

SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. – A researcher has started tracking the health of firefighters helping battle a massive Fort McMurray wildfire.

Nicola Cherry at the University of Alberta is taking blood, urine and breath samples of firefighters as they return from northeastern Alberta in a mobile laboratory set up in Sherwood Park, east of Edmonton.

Watch below: Two Strathcona County firefighters who went to Fort McMurray to help battle the wildfire are back in the Capital Region. Gord sits down with Asst. Chief Jason Greidanus and Capt. Jason Hoffos to talk more about their experience.

4:12 Strathcona County firefighters who battled Fort McMurray wildfire share their experience

READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire grows to 423K hectares

She says hazardous smoke from the blaze is a concern for everyone working in the area.

Cherry has so far tested 55 firefighters and plans to do followups with the study group in three months and perhaps longer.

READ MORE: ‘These guys are working around the clock’: Alberta firefighters share what it’s like in Fort McMurray

She plans to see if patterns emerge while comparing factors such as work hours and respiratory devices with long-term health effects.

The fire, now covering more than 4,200 square kilometres, spread into the city of Fort McMurray on May 3, sending more than 80,000 residents fleeing for their safety.