“Give them masks” — the repeated recommendation from Forest Service researchers that the agency rejected, despite CDC findings that crews were breathing carcinogens and harmful chemicals.
The Forest Service knew. Their own researchers told them. The CDC confirmed it. Give them masks. Simple. Cheap. Obvious. They said no. Now firefighters are dying of cancer and lung disease, and the agency that sent them into toxic smoke without basic protection will face zero consequences. This is how institutions kill people. Not through malice. Through budget meetings and liability concerns and the quiet decision that some workers are expendable.