Climate Connections: Time to get ready for wildfire smoke season

Amy Cilimburg, Kerri Mueller, and Sarah Coefield

Welcome to our fifth annual Wildfire Smoke Ready Week, July 12-19!

Why this week? It’s projected to be both hotter and dryer than usual the rest of the summer, and this may bring a gnarly fire season. The National Interagency Fire Center’s outlook for July-September shows above normal significant fire potential for western Montana and the region. With the increasing risk of wildfire comes more chances for smoke to fill our valleys. That means it’s time to get “Smoke Ready”!

Every year, we dedicate a week to promoting preparedness in the face of increasing wildfire smoke. Keep reading here and find us at tabling events in the Missoula community, on the airwaves, and on social media (#wildfiresmokeready). There are ways we can stay healthy, even as climate change brings longer and more intense fire seasons.

Why do we care so much about smoke? For those of us who’ve lived through past fire seasons, we know what it’s like. The air physically feels different. The smoky air is laden with fine particulate matter and volatile organic chemicals.

These components can cause a multitude of health effects, ranging from less severe (irritated eyes and nose, headaches, coughing) to more severe (reduced lung function, worsened asthma and COPD symptoms, and increased likelihood of heart attack and stroke, susceptibility to infectious disease, and hospitalizations and deaths).

The most harmful ingredient in smoke is fine particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller, known as PM_2.5. These tiny particles can travel deep into the respiratory tract and even pass into the bloodstream, initiating a systemic inflammatory response. This is not good!

While smoke is bad for everyone, children (babies to teenagers), older adults, pregnant people, people with heart and lung disease, and people 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 people.

For those who can go indoors when smoke rolls in, that’s a great first step to protect your health. Unfortunately, smoke still makes its way inside our homes and businesses, entering via doors, windows, cracks, vents, and commercial HVAC systems. The longer a smoke event drags on, the more likely smoke will move indoors.

The good news: the fine particles in smoke can be readily filtered from indoor air!

Here’s how we can all take measures to protect ours and our loved one’s health when smoke rolls in (see montanawildfiresmoke.org for more on all of these suggestions):

1. Stay alert for changing conditions. Check local air quality monitors online at fire.airnow.gov  -bookmark this site and check often! No internet? Look outside – if you can’t see five miles, the air quality is unhealthy.
2. Reduce outdoor activity levels. The more physically active you are, the more air you breathe in, and the more smoke you’ll breathe into your lungs. Slow your roll a bit to cut some of your exposure and be creative with ways to stay active inside cleaner indoor air spaces.
3. Clean your indoor air! With the right filter, you can clean your indoor air. This does require closing doors and windows, so pay attention to how warm it gets indoors. Heat is immediately dangerous. If you don’t have air conditioning, that may mean opening your windows at night and letting smoky air inside. Once your home has cooled, close doors and windows and filter the indoor air. How to do this?

• Use HEPA portable air cleaners (PACs). Have at least one PAC and keep it in the room where you spend the most time. Make sure the PAC is sized appropriately for the room it’s in and does not generate ozone. If it’s in a large room, you’ll need a pretty beefy PAC or more than one. Close doors and windows to that room and run the PAC on the highest setting you find tolerable. Be sure to replace the filter when it gets dirty. You may need to change the filter more often than recommended during a smoke event.
• Make your own air cleaner with a box fan and furnace filters. Got a newer 20” box fan lying around and some duct tape? Use it to clean your indoor air! Get a high efficiency HVAC filter (ideally MERV 13). Attach the filter on the back of the box fan, and you’re set. A basic DIY fan/filter is good for a room that’s about 150 ft². Check our website for more tips on how to build your own air cleaner. Only use fans manufactured since 2012 (newer models have important safety features), and note these devices are noisier than HEPA PACs.
• For whole house filtration, upgrade the HVAC filter in your central air handler. Select the highest efficiency filter your home HVAC system can handle (ideally MERV 13, but MERV 11/12 will still help). Keep the fan running for continuous cleaning. Note that some central air systems may not be able to use high efficiency filters. If this is the case, use HEPA PACs or DIY fan/filters to clean your indoor air.
• For commercial HVAC systems, it isn’t as simple as upgrading the filter (although that’s an important first step!). Commercial HVAC systems have a lot of moving parts and functions that can let smoke indoors.  Operators should follow ASHRAE’s  guidelines: these and a companion EPA guide are readily available on our website here.

1. Consider using an N95 or KN95 respirator mask. Note that these are hard to size for children, and facial hair can prevent a good seal. Do not use a respirator if you have trouble breathing through it.
2. What about Pets? They too, are impacted by smoke pollution. Bring them inside and curtail their exercise when air quality is poor.
3. Be fire safe! Do your part to avoid human-caused fires. Make sure campfires are cool to the touch before leaving them, don’t drag chains on the road, and don’t flick cigarette butts into dry grass. And consider “home hardening” to make the exterior of your home more resistant to fire. Find more information at www.mcfpa.org!
4. Take care of your mental health. Smoke can be gloomy and overwhelming. Please reach out to someone close to you or a mental health professional to share your feelings and for help.
5. Take climate action. We know that the antidote to climate impacts, fears, and frustrations is to find ways to get involved: No one can do everything, but everyone can do something as we, collectively take action to stay healthy and do our part to reduce the fossil fuel pollution that lengthens our wildfire season. Check out Climate Smart Missoula’s Get Involved webpage.

Above all, don’t despair. Yes, fire season is here, and smoke is an unfortunate part of most summers, but it’s not everywhere or every day or all year! Yes, the skies will clear. We know how to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities healthy.

Breathe safe!

Amy Cilimburg is the executive director at Climate Smart Missoula. Kerri Mueller is the current Air Quality Specialist and Sarah Coefield is a former Air Quality Specialist with Missoula Public Health. 

This Climate Connections column is brought to you by Climate Smart Missoula two Fridays of every month. Learn more about our work, support our efforts, and sign up for our e-newsletter at missoulaclimate.org.