For decades, federal firefighters have trudged and parachuted into wildfires with only “a bandana and a prayer,” as the saying goes, to protect them from inhaling dangerous toxins. Meanwhile, studies increasingly connect smoke inhalation to lung cancer and premature death.

A new bipartisan Senate bill would direct the U.S. Forest Service and the Interior Department to develop and implement mandatory respiratory protection for wildland firefighters and supporting staff.

Under the Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act, co-authored by Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and John Curtis, R-Utah., firefighters would be required to wear approved respirators or masks when smoke exposure surpasses limits set in consultation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Oc

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