Jasper Fire Chief Mathew Conte says members of his team were experiencing physical and mental health impacts after the 2024 wildfire. The department now offers increased health supports for its firefighters.AMBER BRACKEN/The Canadian Press
Most of Jasper’s firefighters, a small, mostly-volunteer crew in the Rocky Mountain community, had never battled a fire like the one that destroyed one-third of their Alberta town last summer.
The 30-person brigade helped fend off flames, protecting critical infrastructure and homes, even as some of their own residences began to burn to the ground. In the days and weeks that followed, as the damage laid bare a difficult road to recovery, other wounds began to emerge.
Fire Chief Mathew Conte said members of his team were having difficulty sleeping because of nightmares of the fire. Eight people, himself included, had no homes to return to. By the fall, he said half a dozen members had left due to psychological injury, more often known as a mental-health leave.
“Firefighters were asking for support and they definitely needed it,” said Mr. Conte in an interview after a commemoration event on the one-year anniversary of the wildfire. “We recognized that there was an opportunity to do things better.”
So, the fire department stepped up. It hired an in-house psychologist and members can get reimbursed for seeing other mental-health professionals and for accessing peer support, such as going to dinner or coffee with colleagues to discuss their feelings.
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With wildfires increasing in frequency and intensity across Canada, the health impact – both mental and physical – to firefighters is a growing area of concern. Studies have shown that firefighters are at increased risk of cancer and mortality compared to the general population, but wildland firefighters are still not awarded the same workplace benefits as other firefighters.
Wildland firefighters are also at high risk for heart disease and short- and long-term respiratory issues. A 2021 study by a group of Alberta researchers concluded, for example, that firefighters who battled the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire have persistent lung damage because of their exposure to high concentrations of particulates. One of the respiratory issues identified was new onset asthma.
The Jasper service, aware of these concerns and knowing their firefighters were exposed to carcinogens and other toxins, has also collaborated with local physicians to create a medical checklist, which volunteer firefighters are encouraged to take annually to their doctor.
The list recommends medical providers perform a physical examination, blood analysis, urinalysis, electrocardiogram and oncology screening, all of which can help with the early detection of diseases and illnesses associated with firefighting. Mr. Conte said, should something arise, early detection will afford these members with the best possible outcome.
“Being able to bring these programs in place not only gives a little bit more reassurance to the members that they’re being supported and taken care of, but it also helps with our retention,” he said.
A 30-person most-volunteer brigade helped combat the 2024 Jasper wildfire which destroyed one-third of the Alberta mountain town.Amir Salehi/The Globe and Mail
Paul Demers, scientific director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre in Toronto, said research is still in its infancy on the health impacts to wildland firefighters, especially in comparison to research on their urban counterparts.
Part of the challenge, he said, is that it’s a largely seasonal work force so it’s difficult to track wildland firefighters for an extended period of time. But Dr. Demers said the two cancers with the strongest evidence of being related to wildland firefighting are bladder cancer and mesothelioma.
He said there is also evidence of increased risk for malignant melanoma of the skin, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and prostate, testicular and colon cancer.
Despite evidence of these risks, oncologist Kenneth Kunz, who advocates on behalf of firefighters who have gotten sick in their line of duty, said workplace benefits are often denied for these workers. He noted that the majority of firefighter fatality claims in Canada are caused by cancer.
“When you deny a firefighter benefits, you’re essentially denying their sacrifice. That’s a slap in the face,” said Dr. Kunz, adding that he is currently helping a 28-year-old firefighter who has testicular cancer and was denied workplace compensation for treatment.
“I’ve never lost a [compensation] case, because firefighting does cause cancer and it’s unbelievable that a civilized society would deny this. We ought to be prepared to help the people that we expect to help us in an emergency.”
Last month, the National Union of Public and General Employees sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney urging him to “take immediate, decisive action” to ensure wildland firefighters across Canada are treated with fairness and equity. The union asked that wildland firefighters be extended the same benefits of other firefighters and public safety workers.
Sebastian Kallos, vice-president of the British Columbia General Employees’ Union, who represents all wildland firefighters in the province, said the health of this working group must be taken more seriously, especially as the job is becoming more risky.
“When I started 15 years ago, the average season would be 50, 60 days of firefighting. The last three years, crews in B.C. have been on fires for over 100 days,” said Mr. Kallos. “It’s a doubling of exposure and we’re seeing fires being larger, generating more smoke.”
An added concern is that once wildland firefighters have battled a blaze all day, they continue to eat and sleep in the very conditions that are harmful for their health. There is no break, explained Mr. Kallos, and firefighters are provided with limited gear for respiratory protection.
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland on July 22, 2025, alongside several federal and provincial officials, commemorated the one-year anniversary of the town’s sudden evacuation due to multiple wildfires, which eventually destroyed about a third of the town’s structures.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Kallos said the job attracts a lot of younger people, but the profession struggles with recruitment and retention. Acknowledging and addressing the health risks of the job, he said, would go a long way in keeping people on the front lines.
Back in Jasper, the fire chief said the new health supports are now part of their recruitment program. Mr. Conte said recruits will meet with the department’s clinical counsellor to provide a “baseline mental health status” and be asked to complete the medical checklist.
“Then it’s on file and we can determine if future health conditions might be related back to an incident they were on,” explained Mr. Conte. “We have to take care of each other.”