Wildfire Smoke Toolkit for Tribes

Wildfire smoke is a serious environmental health threat, especially for vulnerable groups such as those with cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, pregnant women, children and the elderly. 

To support Tribes in their effort to protect the health of their community during a wildfire smoke event, the California Area IHS Division of Environmental Health Services has developed a Wildfire Smoke Toolkit.  This toolkit aims to help Tribal leadership prepare their community for a wildfire smoke event and to education community members, facility managers, healthcare providers and emergency management staff on the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure and the steps they can take to minimize these health impacts in their community.

The toolkit may be used in its entirely or feel free to use any portion to aid in educating and preparing your community for a wildfire smoke event.  The tools contain in the toolkit follow.

• Wildfire Smoke Toolkit Table of Contents (MSWord):  This document lists all the tools provided in the toolkit.
• Wildfire Smoke Toolkit Booklet (MSWord):  This document provides information about the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure and the steps community members can take to protect their health during a wildfire smoke event.
• Cleaner Air Shelter Guidance (MSWord):  This document provides guidance on setting up a cleaner air shelter in your community.  It may be edited to suit the needs of your community.
• Building HVAC Smoke Readiness Plan Template (MSWord):  This template is based on guidance from ASHRAE concerning the preparation of buildings for a wildfire smoke event.  This document provides guidance on recommended modifications to the building, its use and the HVAC systems operational settings which will limit the amount of smoke infiltrating a building during an smoke event.
• Wildfire Smoke Community Presentation (MS PowerPoint):  This presentation provides general information about interpreting the US EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) values, the health impacts of exposure to wildfire smoke and the steps one can take to limit exposure.
• Wildfire Smoke Presentation for Healthcare Providers (MS PowerPoint):  This short presentation is a primer for healthcare providers about the health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure and recommended interventions for vulnerable groups such as individuals with asthma, cardiovascular disease and pregnant women.
• Wildfire Smoke Public Health Education Materials (Zip):  This is a collection of flyers, brochures and factsheets from various agencies that can be used to educate a community about the health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure and recommended measures to limit exposure.

To obtain a zip file of the toolkit, contact your local environmental health specialist in the California Area.  Contact information is available at this link.