Julie Johnson and the threat of smoke to California's firefighters

Julie Johnson, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently examined the overlooked health crisis facing California's firefighters. While the public takes precautions against wildfire smoke — from wearing masks to closing schools — firefighters are alarmingly unprotected. Her reporting revealed that, despite evidence linking smoke exposure to long-term health risks like cancer and dementia, there's a glaring absence of protective measures or federal studies.