Wildfires are happening more often and spreading faster, putting lives and homes at risk, especially in the state of Oregon. Being prepared with a solid plan can help you stay safe and know what to do if you need to evacuate quickly.
The National Association of Environmental Medicine has a detailed guide on how to prepare for a wildfire, and I want to walk you through it. In this blog, we’ll cover eight actions you can take right now to protect yourself, your home, and your loved ones.
1. Prepare Your Emergency Wildfire Go-Bag and Stay-Bag
If you live in a high-risk wildfire area, being prepared with a go-bag to quickly evacuate is vital. However, if you live in an area where the concern is smoke exposure instead of fire, you should be prepared with a stay-bag to allow you and your family to safely stay indoors.
Prepare Your Wildfire Go-Bag With This Checklist
Respirators: Pack high-quality masks such as P100 or reusable respirators.
Medications: Include daily medications, inhalers, nebulizers, and copies of prescriptions. Make sure to have backups of these, and include everyone in your household, including pets.
Supplements: Pack supplements to support detoxification and immune function.
Copies of important documents: These could include photo IDs, insurance papers, medical records, and drivers licenses.
Key contacts and information: Take note of emergency numbers and local resources that track wildfire risk and outdoor air quality.
Extra clothing: Make sure to include warm layers.
Food and water: Make sure to pack enough for 72 hours.
Face masks
Pocket tissues
Wet wipes
First aid kit: The American Red Cross makes a first aid kit that includes basic emergency medical supplies.
Prepare Your Wildfire Stay-Bag With This Checklist
Respirators: Pack high-quality masks such as P100 or reusable respirators.
Medications: Include daily medications, inhalers, and nebulizers. Make sure to have backups of these, and include everyone in your household, including pets.
Supplements: Pack supplements to support detoxification and immune function.
Extra furnace filters: Minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) 13+ rated
Extra filters for indoor air purifiers
Painters tape: Used to seal window and door drafts.
Cardboard: Used to block fireplaces and fans.
Damp mops and microfiber cloths: These are used for cleaning and removing particulates (the small harmful particles from wildfire smoke).
Key contacts and information: Take note of emergency numbers and local resources that track wildfire risk and outdoor air quality.
Food: Make sure to have food on hand that doesn't need a gas stove to prepare.
Indoor air quality monitor
By preparing these bags ahead of time, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you're ready for both emergency evacuations and prolonged smoke exposure.
2. Protect Your Health and Stay Safe with Respirators
When air quality deteriorates, wearing the right respirator is one of the best ways to protect your lungs. These masks and respirators can be found at home improvement stores. It's important to buy them in advance because they'll sell out quickly during a fire or smoke event.
Respirators work well to filter out the harmful particles from wildfire smoke. Here are some different options:
Good: 3M 6000 series reusable respirator (~$20)
Better: 3M 6500 series rugged comfort reusable respirator (~$30)
Best: 3M 7500 industrial series respirator with cool flow exhalation valve (~$40)
These respirators require this filter: 3M multi-gas/vapor cartridge + P100 particle filter (#60926, a 2-pack costs ~$30).
If you're not able to wear a respirator for a long period of time, the other option is wearing a mask. Masks offer some protection, and they're more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Here are a couple of options:
It's important to note that these masks aren't the same as N95 masks. N95 masks aren't able to filter out the small, harmful particles in wildfire smoke, while the P100 and cambridge masks offer almost 100% protection against these particles.
3. Have Nebulizers On Hand for Smoke Exposure Relief
For people with asthma, COPD, or other lung conditions or sensitivities, having a nebulizer on hand is highly recommended and can make a significant difference. Smoke exposure can trigger inflammation and airway constriction, making it harder to breathe. A nebulizer helps to clear smoke particles from the lungs and reduce inflammation.
Here are two options for nebulizers:
Better: OMRON CompAir Compressor Tabletop Nebulizer System (NE-C801, cost is about $35).
Best: OMRON MicroAir Battery-Operated Mesh Nebulizer (NE-U100, cost is about $100). This one is best if you need to leave your home or the power is out.
When purchasing, make sure to order extra nebulizer tubing so you can replace it before there's buildup.
As far as the medication to use with the nebulizer, glutathione is the best nebulized medication to help the lungs heal. Make sure to discuss this early with your healthcare provider, as this medication requires a prescription.
4. Supplements to Support Lung Health
Along with protective equipment, certain supplements can help strengthen the immune system and help the body detoxify before and after wildfire smoke exposure.
Here are some of the main supplements to have on hand:
Buffered Vitamin C: Supports the immune system and helps with glutathione production
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine): Helps relax airways and supports glutathione production
B-Complex Vitamins: Reduces lung inflammation and supports stress response
Detox Formula (Vital Nutrients): Helps the body remove toxins from smoke exposure
Having these supplements on hand and taking them during wildfire season can provide an extra layer of protection against smoke-related health issues. Take a look at my last blog to learn about more supplements and other ways to heal your lungs after wildfire smoke inhalation.
5. Check Your Home For Air Leaks to Prepare for Wildfires
When considering wildfires, it's important to know if your house is relatively airtight or leaky. The ultimate goal is to keep wildfire smoke out of your house, and you're able to do this by identifying air leaks and sealing them up.
The way to check for air leaks in your home first starts with using an indoor air quality monitor. You want to use this monitor to test each room in your house. If your indoor air quality isn't safe, especially for children and family members with health issues, you need to plan to move to a different place during a wildfire.
Here are some things everyone should do to prepare their home for a wildfire:
Close all windows and outside doors
Make sure the seals to all windows and doors are tight
Keep family and pet traffic in and out through the same door to reduce smoke exposure
Seal up outside vents like the stove, bathroom, and fireplace with cardboard and tape
Use a high-quality air filter in each room to remove smoke particles and toxins that manage to make it inside
Newer homes usually have tighter seals on the windows and doors so less outdoor air gets in. But if you live in an older home, you may have to take some extra precautions to protect yourself and your family
Here are some extra precautions you can take to lower the amount of outside air that gets inside and control inside smoke:
Seal around windows and doors with blue painters tape
Identify rooms that are more airtight and rooms that continue to have drafts and poor air quality. By doing this, you can close off rooms that have poor air quality and stay in the rooms that are safe.
Use an indoor air quality monitor during a wildfire smoke event so you can monitor the air quality in your home and close off rooms if needed.
6. Monitor Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality
We've touched on indoor air monitors and how they'll help you figure out if the air inside your home is safe. Here are two recommended indoor air quality monitors:
Better: AirKnight 9-in-1 Indoor Air Quality Monitor (model AK1000, cost is about $150)
Best: IQAir AirVisual Pro Air-Quality Monitor (model 360, cost is about $299)
Monitoring the outside air quality index is equally as important. By paying attention to this, you'll be able to know when you need to stay inside and when it's safe to go outside. It's important to be aware of this because even when the sky looks clear, the toxins and harmful particles from smoke may still be in the air.
Here are three ways you can monitor the air quality index:
Air Now App and Map: Created by the Environmental Protection Agency, this app shows local air quality conditions and risk.
Oregon Air App: This app was created by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency. It allows you to monitor the most current air quality index readings in Oregon.
Watch Duty App: This is an app created by the nonprofit organization Watch Duty. This app alerts you and gives real-time updates of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts.
7. Use A Home Air Filter
A home air filter is one of the best ways to remove toxins and particles from wildfire smoke from your home. In general, you need at least one air filter for each room in your home. You may need more for rooms with high ceilings.
Because air filters can be expensive, it's best to invest in one or two higher-end units for your bedroom and main living areas. And then you can buy less expensive units for the other areas in your home.
Typically, the filters used in air filters need to be replaced every six months. However, during a wildfire, the filter will likely need to be replaced sooner. So make sure to have plenty of filters on hand.
My next blog will review the National Association of Environmental Medicine's recommendations for air filters and how to pick the one that's best for you.
If you don't have an air filter, you can make your own with a box fan and furnace filter. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has a tutorial on how to do this.
8. Stay On Top of Cleaning When A Wildfire Starts
During a wildfire smoke event, household cleaning habits need to change to prevent particle buildup inside your home.
Here are some tips to keep your house clean during a wildfire:
Stay inside and keep windows closed
Clean daily with a damp mop and microfiber cloths: It's important to not vacuum as this moves smoke particles into the air.
Avoid gas stoves and fireplaces: Doing so worsens indoor air pollution.
Remove shoes and change clothes when coming inside: This is important to do as leaving shoes on inside tracks in particulates.
Shower and wash hair immediately: After outdoor smoke exposure, this is necessary to remove smoke residue from the skin and hair.
And Lastly - Always Plan Ahead for A Wildfire
Environmental events like wildfires are often devastating - especially for human health. But organizations like the National Association of Environmental Medicine have been working to increase awareness around these topics.
Specifically, this incredible organization has been working to educate and inform providers in the functional medicine, naturopathic, and conventional medical community on the impact that the environment has on the human body. I’d like to thank them for their comprehensive guide on wildfire preparation that I referenced for this blog.
By taking these steps, you can make sure that you're wildfire ready and prepared to handle an emergency. Creating a defensible space that's protected from outside smoke, having an emergency go-kit, and staying informed through local emergency alerts can make all the difference in staying safe.
Wildfires are unpredictable. But by being prepared with a plan and stocking up on supplies ahead of time, you can help protect yourself and your family.
And if you’d like to learn more about wildfire preparation as well as how environmental factors like wildfires impact health, make sure to visit the National Association of Environmental Medicine’s website at the link below.
References:
Advanced Preparation for Wildfire Season -- (envmedicine.com)