COVID-19 has put more emphasis on how we prepare for wildfire smoke.

Smoke preparedness to protect your-self and your family has taken on a new importance with the compounding impacts of the respiratory illness from the coronavirus pandemic. Although not wildfire smoke specific, recent scientific studies from Italy and the UK (Conticini et al., 2020external icon & Travaglio et al., 2020external icon) suggest that air pollutant exposure worsens COVID-19 symptoms and outcomes. This research is part of the reason why land managers have adjusted their tactics this year to try and limit smoke impacts on communities as much as possible. (see our interview with an FMO for more)

Please visit these resources from the CDC for more information:

Wildfire Smoke and COVID-19: FAQs

COVID-19 and Wildfire Smoke Cleaner Air Spaces

Smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires is a serious concern as it can cause and exacerbate health conditions for those of us that endure it.  However by living in the fire adapted ecosystems of northern New Mexico we must accept that wildfire and smoke is inevitable. 

What can you do to reduce the impacts of smoke?

Smoke is a known health hazard and inhaling it is not good for anyone, and it especially affects sensitive groups such as people under the age of 18 and over the age of 65, pregnant women and people who are predisposed to respiratory ailments.  

Limit your exposure

Reducing the impacts of smoke is accomplished by limiting your exposure to smoke as much as possible.  

  • For people in a safe location, away from the fire, reducing physical activity is an effective strategy to lower the dose of inhaled air pollutants and reduce health risks during a smoke event. During exercise, people can increase their air intake as much as 10 to 20 times over their resting level. Increased breathing rates bring more pollution deep into the lungs.

  • Staying inside in a safe place with the doors and windows closed can usually reduce exposure to air pollution by at least a third or more.

  • Reduce other sources of indoor air pollution: smoking cigarettes, using gas, propane and wood-burning stoves and furnaces, spraying aerosol products, frying or broiling meat, burning candles and incense, and vacuuming can all increase particle levels in a home and should be avoided when wildfire smoke is present.

  • Find a designated clean air shelter where you can go for respite from smoky conditions. This is particularly important for people without air conditioning on hot smoky days, when staying indoors with windows closed can be hazardous. Places to consider going include public libraries, hospitals, movie theaters, and other public buildings with good HVAC systems.

  • Individuals who are particularly sensitive to smoke should consider temporarily evacuating an area with unhealthy levels of air pollution until air quality conditions improve.

  • Use filters in your HVAC system or smaller portable air cleaners to provide clean air inside your home. Read more about these systems below.

Filtering your air

One of the best ways to reduce the impact of smoke is by reducing the amount of smoke that enters your building and filtering harmful particles from the air.

Tightly closed buildings reduce exposure to outdoor air pollution, smoke enters and leaves buildings in three primary ways:

  • Mechanical ventilation systems, which actively draw in outdoor air through intake vents and distribute it throughout the building.

  • Natural ventilation (opening of doors or windows).

  • Infiltration, the passive entry of unfiltered outdoor air through small cracks and gaps in the building shell.

If you have a central air conditioning system in your home, set it to re-circulate or close outdoor air intakes to avoid drawing in smoky outdoor air.  Upgrading the filter efficiency of the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system and changing filters frequently during smoke events greatly improves indoor air quality.  

Smaller portable air cleaners are a great way to provide clean air in the areas where you spend most of your time. Essentially these are filters with an attached fan that draws air through the filter and cleans it.  These cleaners can help reduce indoor particle levels, provided the specific air cleaner is properly matched to the size of the indoor environment in which it is placed, and doors and windows are kept shut. They should be placed in the bedrooms or living rooms to provide the most effectiveness. 

When air quality improves, such as during a wind shift or after a rain, make sure to use natural ventilating to flush out the air in your building. 

 

Selecting a Filter - For either portable filters or HVAC filters make sure to select a filter that is true HEPA or has a MERV rating of 13 or higher. These ratings refer to the size of particles that the filter will remove from the air and in this case they are certified to remove particles down to .3 microns in size. This is the minimum needed to remove the small harmful particles in smoke.

When selecting a portable filter, the other rating to pay attention to is CADR or Clean Air Delivery Rate. This refers to the volume of air that passes trough the unit. A CADR of 200 means the unit provides 200 cubic feet of clean air per minute, and often this number is equated to the room size that it will effectively purify the air in. In a 300 sq foot room a filter with a rating of 200 CADR will cycle the air through the filter 4-5 times per hour. While any filter will provide clean air those with lower CADRs will simply work more slowly.

Lastly, make sure to avoid filters that claim to produce ozone to destroy pathogens, as ozone is a respiratory irritant. 

More information about filters and guides to selecting one can be found in the Resources section below.  

Face Masks - Face masks can be an effective way to reduce your exposure to smoke when they are fit correctly and are the proper rating. Make sure the mask you use is rated at least N95 or N100 and that you take care to fit it properly. These masks will filter out the small particles that are the most hazardous to your health. They are commonly available at hardware stores and can be purchased online. Paper masks only filter out large particles and will not provide the filtration needed to protect you from smoke. More information about selecting and fitting masks can be found in the Resources section below. 

 

Filter and Air Cleaner Information:

HEPA Filter Loan Program

NOTE: As of July 2020 The HEPA Loan program is restarting with extra precautions due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The following describes our COVID-19 Precautions:

  • Check out information will be collected over the phone and reviewed verbally.

  • A contact less pick up and drop off will be arranged.

  • Once a filter is returned it is stored in the box for 72-96 hours to allow any virus that may be present on the filter to expire before handling or reloaning the filter.

With support from the City of Santa Fe Fire Department the Forest Stewards Guild is pleased to offer a HEPA Filter Loan program. These filters are available to smoke sensitive individuals during periods of smoke impacts in the Fireshed area. We have a small amount of portable air cleaners that will filter the air in a large room such as a living room or bed room. These will be distributed on a first come- first served basis for predetermined time periods. You will need to provide contact info and come to the Forest Stewards Guild office in Santa Fe to sign for the filter and pick it up.  Please look over the HEPA Air Filter Check-Out Contract.

To check out a HEPA Filter contact eytan@forestguild.org or by calling 505-983-8992 x 707.

The information on this page is from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Health.

The GSFFC is a coalition of public and private organizations. The GSFFC is not a subdivision of the State of New Mexico, as defined in the state’s Open Meetings Act, §§ 10-15-1 to 10-15-4 NMSA 1978. Although federal agencies participate in the GSFFC, the Coalition is not a federal advisory board and was not created by a federal agency, as defined by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5.U.S.C. app. 2, §§ 1 to 16 (2012). The GSFFC operates informally to support its partners, and is not incorporated as a non-profit, 501(C)(3), partnership, or other legal status.