• Carbon monoxide issues, for example at congested base camps • Poisonous plants such as poison oak/ivy • Mental health
approved states do cover local and state public sec - tor employees. HAZWOPER training levels include 8-hour, 24-hour and 40-hour training requirements depending on the duties and assignments of envi - ronmental public health staff. The requirements can be confusing but if staff will be assigned to the field in any disaster scenario where the potential for exposures to hazardous substances exist, it is incumbent on the agency to either train staff appro - priately or assign such work as stated above. There may be a time when fire operations and their incident command is terminated. Another lead agency might evolve to deal with hazardous mate - rials/waste and ash/debris removal. In this situa - tion, it is recommended that the incident command system be utilized, especially with the preparation of Incident Action Plans and the appointment of a Safety Officer to emphasize and highlight any ongoing health and safety concerns. Resources • Wildfires- Response/Recovery - OSHA • Cal OSHA Worker Health and Safety in Wildfire Regions CDC Worker Safety During Fire Cleanup|Wildfires (cdc.gov)
It is important to discuss safety concerns with staff before entering the field. When encountering unknown hazards, it is best to be cautious. Staff should always be sent in teams with proper train - ing, communication devices, first aid kits, and per - sonal protective equipment. It is also recommended to consult with agency staff on observed health and safety issues and to reach out to command safety officers for further evaluation. Recognizing that staff may be exposed to haz- ardous substances when responding to various locations following a wildfire, appropriate training is essential. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the 28 OSHA approved states implementing their own occupa - tional safety and health programs have Hazard- ous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) 59 standards with minimum training based on worker responsibilities. 60 Federal OSHA does not cover local and state government employees; however, the 28 OSHA
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