Wildfire Smoke, Heat, and Health

Goals and Strategies

Given the health sector's vulnerabilities due to wildfire smoke and heat, we have developed the following goals and strategies.

Goals are presented in bold with their corresponding action items below it.

Improve indoor air quality in homes during wildfire smoke events.

Educate homeowners about options to create safe indoor air (MERV 13 air filters, portable air cleaners).
Make portable air cleaners more accessible.

Increase awareness of physical health impacts of wildfire smoke, heat, and their intersection.

Conduct an educational campaign about air quality data, health risks of wildfire smoke, connection between smoke and heat, and activity guidelines.
Collaborate with healthcare providers to develop and promote wildfire smoke exposure checklist; educate providers who are unaware.
Encourage healthcare providers to work with sensitive subgroups to reduce controllable exposures (smoking, radon) and have a plan in place before wildfire smoke arrives.
Coordinate education efforts to consider best health practices during concurrent heat and smoke events.
Conduct an educational campaign about the prevention of and signs of heat related illness for the most vulnerable populations.
Conduct an educational campaign for healthcare, public safety, and emergency response communities about the connection between heat and aggression.

Improve indoor air quality in (and access to) public and commercial buildings during wildfire smoke and heat events.

Develop voluntary measures and incentives, such as a certification program for clean air buildings, to encourage safe indoor air in public buildings, schools, and businesses.
Find, develop and promote indoor recreation, exercise and creative activity spaces that are available to individuals and recreational programs (youth and adult) that are accessible to all income levels.

Increase awareness of mental health impacts of climate change.

Educate the public and healthcare providers about the mental health impacts of wildfire smoke and other climate vulnerabilities, including those specific to agricultural community.

Improve health and safety of outdoor workers during heat and smoke events.

Encourage employers to change workplace environment to reduce wildfire smoke and heat exposure, for example by adapting work hours, following Cal/OSHA guidance and/or providing pop-up clean air shelters and/or appropriate safety equipment (e.g. personal protective equipment - PPE) for employees.

Increase healthcare system capacity to respond to wildfire smoke events, wildfires, floods, and other climate impacts.

Assess existing mental health resources and increase as needed, such as network of providers, integration with general practitioners and emergency responders, screenings, and capacity of inpatient and outpatient care, scalable to smoke events.

Implementation

Implementation has begun for the strategies in the Wildfire Smoke, Heat, and Health sector.

If you would like to receive more information or would like to apply to join the working group, contact Caroline Lauer.

Resources and In the News

Climate Change and Human Health - the latest report of the Montana Climate Assessment

Pollen season grows 20 days in 30 years as climate crisis hits hay fever sufferers - the Guardian

Upcoming Events

Stay tuned here for upcoming events related to this sector, or go to our Events page for information on all Climate Ready related events.

Working Group Members

Amy Cilimburg, Climate Smart Missoula
Sarah Coefield, Missoula City-County Health Department
Donna Gaukler, City of Missoula Parks and Recreation
Paul Herendeen, Clearwater Credit Union
Diana Maneta, Missoula County
Beth Schenk, Providence St. Patrick Hospital
Amber Sherrill, Missoula City Council Member
Dave Strohmaier, Missoula County Commissioner
Shannon Therriault, Missoula City-County Health Department

Do you prefer to think about strategies in terms of which climate impacts they respond to?

You can sort all wildfire smoke, heat, and health strategies by related climate impact below, as well as whether they have a mitigation benefit or strengthen resiliency in a different sector as well as wildfire smoke, heat, and health.