As our temperatures heat up, so do wildfire risks. And with fire, wildfire smoke inevitably creeps into the valleys. Local public health experts, climate advocates, and local government encourage Missoula County residents to educate and prepare themselves for the hazards of wildfire smoke during Wildfire Smoke Ready Week July 12-19.
A proclamation from the Missoula County Commissioners and the City of Missoula highlights the efforts of a Missoula-area Wildfire Smoke Ready Team who have organized a week of outreach about the risks posed by wildfire smoke and the simple strategies everyone can take to reduce their exposure and protect their health.
The team will post tips on social media (#WildfireSmokeReady), and volunteers and staff will be at the Saturday farmer’s markets, Out to Lunch (7/16) and at Missoula Public Library to share options to create clean indoor air. Everyone is invited to engage with the team, share social media, and check out MontanaWildfireSmoke.org for a schedule of tabling events and for information about portable air cleaners and filters, making your own air cleaner, using a forced air system to keep your indoor air safer, and coping with the double whammy of smoke and heat!
“Our Wildfire Smoke Ready Team is eager to have a dedicated week to share what we’ve learned over the years to keep our communities safe,” said Amy Cilimburg, Climate Smart Missoula’s executive director. “Wildfire season has become longer and more severe due in part to human caused climate change —and wildfire smoke events have become more common. This summer and through September is projected to be both hotter and drier than normal – this could be a gnarly smoke season.”
Wildfire smoke is the most significant source of air pollution in western Montana, and it is a serious health threat. Wildfire smoke exacerbates asthma and COPD and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, susceptibility to infectious respiratory diseases, and hospitalizations and deaths. While smoke is bad for everyone, babies, children, teens, pregnant people, older adults, people with heart and lung disease, and those who can’t avoid exposures, such as outdoor workers and people living outside, are at greater risk of health impacts. That’s a lot of us!
Fortunately, relatively inexpensive interventions, such as HEPA portable air cleaners and efficient HVAC filters, can mitigate many of the risks that wildfire smoke poses.
“Because wildfire smoke comes indoors, the old public health messaging of ‘shut your doors and windows’ is no longer sufficient,” offers Kerri Mueller, air quality specialist with Missoula Public Health. “Residents can take some simple proactive measures to filter their air. We’ve learned a lot about creating cleaner indoor air spaces since the challenging 2017 wildfire season, and I’m thrilled to take part once again in our Wildfire Smoke Ready Week to better prepare our community for whatever comes our way.”
Our changing summers can be daunting, but together we can prepare and get Wildfire Smoke Ready!