Smoke-Ready Communities During Severe Wildfires

In this one-hour webinar, which is part of the Hot Topics series, Sarah Coefield, MS, discusses how the Missoula City-County Health Department supported public health during prolonged smoke events of the 2017 summer wildfire season.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the threats wildfire smoke poses to individuals and public health systems.
• Identify clean air intervention strategies for communities prone to wildfires and smoke events.
• Identify potential community and funding partners to address health threats associated with wildfires.

Intended Audiences

Local, state, and tribal public health professionals; nonprofits that address climate change and health; medical practitioners; community foundations; disaster response agencies

Presenter

Sarah Coefield, MS, MA, RS, Air Quality Specialist, Missoula City-County Health Department

Discussion Questions

1. How can you promote smoke resiliency in your community?
2. How would you triage access to clean air during a prolonged smoke event in your community?
3. How can a health department balance their interventions to counteract wildfire smoke with encouraging individual action for creating clean air spaces?

Resources

• www.montanawildfiresmoke.org
• EPA Smoke-Ready Toolbox
• California Air Resources Board
• EPA Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home