WILDFIRE SMOKE FACTSHEET
Prepare for Fire Season
If you live in an area where the wildfire risk is high, take steps now to prepare for fire season. Being
prepared for fire season is especially important for the health of children, older adults, and people with
heart or lung disease.
Before a Wildfire
If any family member has heart or lung
disease, including asthma, check with your
doctor about what you should do during smoke
events. Have a plan to manage your condition.
Stock up so you don't have to go out when
it's smoky. Have several days of medications
on hand. Buy groceries that do not need to be
refrigerated or cooked because cooking can add
to indoor air pollution.
Create a "clean room" in your home. Choose
a room with no fireplace and as few windows
and doors as possible, such as a bedroom. Use a
portable air cleaner in the room.
Buy a portable air cleaner before there is a
smoke event. Make sure it has high efficiency
HEPA filters and it is the right size for the room.
Know how you will get alerts and health
warnings, including air quality reports, public
service announcements (PSAs), and social media
warning you about high fire risk or an active fire.
Ask an air conditioning professional what kind
of high efficiency filters to use in your home's
system and how to close the fresh-air intake if
your central air system or room air conditioner
has one.
Have a supply of N95 respirators and learn
how to use them.They are sold at many home
improvement stores and online.
Organize your important items ahead of time,
including financial and personal documents.
Know your evacuation routes and where to go if
you have to evacuate. Make sure to prepare your
children, and consider your pets when making
an evacuation plan.
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During a Wildfire
Follow instructions from local officials to keep
yourself and your family safe.
Stay inside with the doors and windows closed. Run
your air conditioner with the fresh-air intake closed
("recirculate mode") to keep smoke from getting
indoors. Seek shelter elsewhere if you do not have an
air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with
the windows closed.
Follow your health care provider's advice if
you have heart or lung disease, and follow your
management plan if you have one. If your symptoms
worsen, reduce your exposure to smoke and contact
your provider.
Do not add to indoor air pollution. Do not burn
candles or use gas, propane, wood-burning stoves,
fireplaces, or aerosol sprays. Do not fry or broil meat,
smoke tobacco products, or vacuum. All of these can
increase air pollution indoors.
Use a portable air cleaner to reduce indoor air
pollution. Follow the manufacturer's instructions
on where to put the air cleaner and when to
replace the filters.
Reduce how much smoke you inhale. If it
looks or smells smoky outside, avoid strenuous
activities such as mowing the lawn or going for a
run. Wait until air quality is better before you are
active
outdoors.
Pay attention to local air quality reports and
health warnings. Smoke levels can vary a lot
during the day, so you may have a chance to do
errands and open up windows when air quality
is better. Public service announcements give
you important information such as changing
conditions, cancelled events, or evacuation
notices.
Do not rely on dust masks or bandanas for
protection from smoke. An N95 respirator can
protect you if it fits snugly to your face and is worn
properly.These are not recommended for children.
Reduce smoke in your vehicle by closing the
windows and vents and running the air conditioner
in recirculate mode. Slow down when you drive in
smoky conditions.
For more information:
Get air quality information: Check your local news, the airnow.gov website, or your state air quality agency's
website.
Learn about home air cleaners: https://www.epa.aov/indoor-air-qualitv-iaq/auide-air-cleaners-home
Find certified air cleaning devices: http://www.arb.ca.aov/research/indoor/aircleaners/certified.htm
Learn how to use an N95 respirator mask: http://www.bepreparedcalifornia.ca.aov/Documents/Protect%20
Your%20Lunas%20Respirator.pdf
Learn more about wildfire smoke: How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health: https://airn ow. a ov/i n d ex.
cfm?action=smoke.index
CALIFORNIA
AIR RESOURCES BOARD
Sir**'
I PublicHealth
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA- 452/F-18-001
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