Impact of fires?

ksiegel said:
IF the mask isn't fitted to the individual, it doesn't matter.

I spent 24 years as a firefighter/paramedic, ran the county HazMat Team, and spent 2 weeks with the Upstate NY Search & Rescue Team at Ground Zero.

If the mask you wear isn't fit tested, it may or may not work. It is like wearing a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) face piece with bad seal. It helps, but not necessarily enough.

-Kurt​
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I get that if it's not fit tested, it's likely not as good as the real deal, (assuming the real deal has also been fit tested), but helping a bit might be better than nothing at all? (I could be wrong. You've got the expertise.)

The KN95s I use do have a tight seal. I'm not using them for the situation like the West Coast fires, but as what seems to be a better alternative to either a cloth mask or a medical mask in this COVID world. But, again, you've got expertise that I don't have.
 
Joyful Uke said:
I get that if it's not fit tested, it's likely not as good as the real deal, (assuming the real deal has also been fit tested), but helping a bit might be better than nothing at all? (I could be wrong. You've got the expertise.)

The KN95s I use do have a tight seal. I'm not using them for the situation like the West Coast fires, but as what seems to be a better alternative to either a cloth mask or a medical mask in this COVID world. But, again, you've got expertise that I don't have.
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I am with you on this. For a firefighter who is on or near the front line, a fitted mask would be necessary. For use by the public as smoke protection when outside, it should be beneficial, much more than using nothing or a cloth mask. Most of the PPE that they wear for virus protection is not fit tested.

Yesterday, for a 20 minute trip to a market, I wore an N95 mask for the entire time, including in the car. You can definitely feel some effect as it is harder to breathe in and gets uncomfortable very quickly. (BTW, not hoarding... opened mask packages are not accepted by health care workers and facilities for donation and these were acquired two years ago when smoke was bad from fires then).
 
The updated weather forecast has smoke here till at least Friday. We're Very Unhealthy today instead of Hazardous. I can't tell the difference, but woo hoo, 252 instead of 480! I started out fine, but today I delivered Meals on Wheels and my eyes burn, my nose runs, and I've got a headache, and I was only outside about an hour. I am so lucky to not be working outside or in close quarters, risking catching Covid and increasing the chances of lung issues. And I still have a home and I haven't been evacuated. I've been thinking about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression lately. If there's one thing this year has made abundantly clear, it's that it can always get worse.
 
Jan D said:
Based on my own research earlier today, I discovered that N95 masks are made to American mask standards, which do not require manufacturers to do a fit test. To be certified as a KN95 mask, the Chinese government requires the manufacturer to run fit tests on real humans. So yes, a KN95 mask would be a good alternative to the hard-to-find N95.
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This is wrong - reverse it. I spent 8 years on an isolation unit & got yearly N95 mask fit tests the whole time. KN95s don’t require fit tests. Neither do essential workers outside the medical environment. KN95s are a good alternative for the general public without straining the N95s needed for medical staff.
 
Maybe if the west coast states started considering law and order an important part of society people would not be running around starting fires. I have got a suggestion for you liberal geniuses, start prosecuting criminals. Wow, what a novel idea!
 
That is not an accurate description of what’s going on here. Your post is hurtful rather than helpful and it doesn’t belong in a forum like this.
 
Dbhughes said:
Maybe if the west coast states started considering law and order an important part of society people would not be running around starting fires. I have got a suggestion for you liberal geniuses, start prosecuting criminals. Wow, what a novel idea!
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This forum does not allow politically inflammatory posts. Your posts have no history of this rule breaking behavior, so instead of a permanent ban, please take seven days off. Thank you.
 
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Jan D said:
Based on my own research earlier today, I discovered that N95 masks are made to American mask standards, which do not require manufacturers to do a fit test. To be certified as a KN95 mask, the Chinese government requires the manufacturer to run fit tests on real humans. So yes, a KN95 mask would be a good alternative to the hard-to-find N95.
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And for covid, you don't want a mask with an exhaust valve.
 
Jerryc41 said:
And for covid, you don't want a mask with an exhaust valve.
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It is an issue with the bad air. My N95 has a valve, which is okay when in my car and outside away from others. When going inside, the solution is to place a cloth mask over the N95. It does not make it more difficult to breathe.
 
RosieKamozie said:
This is wrong - reverse it. I spent 8 years on an isolation unit & got yearly N95 mask fit tests the whole time. KN95s don’t require fit tests. Neither do essential workers outside the medical environment. KN95s are a good alternative for the general public without straining the N95s needed for medical staff.
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You are correct, Rosie. I did some additional research this evening, and it appears that the website I originally drew my information from does indeed have the testing requirements reversed. The websites that I viewed tonight all concur with your statement. Thanks for the heads up!

Jan
 
Jan D said:
You are correct, Rosie. I did some additional research this evening, and it appears that the website I originally drew my information from does indeed have the testing requirements reversed. The websites that I viewed tonight all concur with your statement. Thanks for the heads up!

Jan
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Sure! Somehow it got picked up wrong in the media and spread all over - I saw a doctor quoted in a Rolling Stone article on masks saying the same thing & it’s totally wrong (they should’ve asked a nurse!)
 
RosieKamozie said:
Sure! Somehow it got picked up wrong in the media and spread all over - I saw a doctor quoted in a Rolling Stone article on masks saying the same thing & it’s totally wrong (they should’ve asked a nurse!)
Click to expand...

Ag employees applying pesticides which require N95s either by law or pesticide labels do require annual fit tests. I believe that anytime a respirator is required to be used by an employee, they must be fit tested. Additionally, Kn95 (the chinese standard), may be used as a substitute only when specifically approved by NIOSH. In this circumstance, the employee must still be fit tested.

If the respirator is not required, but recommended to be used, then the fit test is not required. The new wildfire smoke chapter of our workplace safety program requires managers to limit employee exposure, but to recommend use of a respirator and make it available. We use KN95 for this purpose.

Our AQI is down to 300 from 1480 a few days back. We are very close to the Bear/North complex and left town for a few days when it was moving fast in our direction (30 miles in 18 hours!). Things have stabilized as the weather has been favorable for fire fighting. Still a long way to go and the scope of devastation is yet to be fully known.
 
Dbhughes said:
Maybe if the west coast states started considering law and order an important part of society people would not be running around starting fires. I have got a suggestion for you liberal geniuses, start prosecuting criminals. Wow, what a novel idea!
Click to expand...

How is your comment not trying to "start a fire?". One must look at themselves after they criticize others to determine if they are projecting.
 
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