Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program

During wildfire smoke events, air quality can deteriorate quickly and pose serious health risks — especially for children, older adults, and individuals with existing health conditions. It is important to stay informed and take steps to protect your health. Spending time indoors (in homes and other buildings) with clean, well-filtered air, can reduce exposure to smoke and protect your health during a wildfire event.

Below are some quick steps you can take to make sure you are breathing the cleanest air possible during a smoke event:

1. Stay informed: 
   1. During wildfire events, conditions can change quickly and may vary neighborhood by neighborhood. Staying informed can help you make choices about your activities to help reduce smoke exposures. 
      1. Pay attention to alerts from your local agencies and the state’s Air Quality Advisories. Use sites like  the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map and the Colorado Smoke Blog for updates on the air quality in your area. 
2. Ready your home/building:
   1. Close your doors and windows. Learn more about managing heat if your building does not have central air conditioning in the resource below. 
   2. If your home or building has central HVAC, check your HVAC settings and filters. 
      1. Run the system’s fan as often as possible (choose settings such as “auto” or “fan always on”), to keep air circulating through the filters. This will help trap smoke pollutants that have entered your space — even when you are not actively heating or cooling the space. 
      2. Limit the outdoor air intake — close the dampers or choose the “recirculate” setting on your thermostat — to reduce the amount of polluted outdoor air that is being pulled into your space by your HVAC system. 
      3. Check the condition of your filters to make sure they are clean and well-fitting. To increase efficiency, consider replacing with new filters if it’s been a while since they were last replaced or the filter looks heavily soiled. Install the highest-efficiency filters possible for your system (MERV 13+ is best, if it’s available and fits your system’s specifications). 
   3. If your home does not have central HVAC, or you feel you need additional filtration beyond what your HVAC provides, consider creating a Clean Air Room. 
      1. Choose a room that is comfortable to stay in for long periods of time and can be closed off from the rest of the house/building. Close windows and doors (including internal doors) to isolate the space and prevent smoke from entering the room. 
      2. Set up supplemental in-room air filtering, such as portable air cleaners or DIY box fan filters (see below for resources to help with this step). 
      3. Stay cool — run fans or air conditioning to ensure the room does not get too hot.
      4. Limit activities in your home or building that create additional smoke or particle pollution, such as: smoking or vaping; using gas, propane, or wood-burning stoves and furnaces; frying or broiling food; burning candles; spraying aerosol products (e.g., cleaners, air fresheners, hair products); and using a vacuum cleaner that does not have a HEPA filter. 
3. Protect yourself outside: If you have to spend time outside, protect yourself by limiting your time outdoors, reducing physical activity, and wearing a N95 or KN95 mask, if suitable.

The following resources are from trusted, reliable sources and can give you more detailed information on the quick tips above. Check them out to find current information on smoke conditions in your area and learn about practical, proven actions you can take to create a safe, cleaner air indoor space and protect yourself if you must go outdoors during smoky conditions.

1. Stay informed:

   AirNow Smoke and Fire Map 
   If you are currently experiencing a smoke event, go to EPA’s AirNow Fire and Smoke Map for current information on air quality and smoke in your area. When you click on a sensor symbol on the map to see detailed information about the air quality at that location, you will also find an interpretation of the data and recommendations for actions you should take to protect yourself from smoke.

   Colorado Smoke Blog | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
   The CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division periodically updates this page to provide information about smoke in Colorado. This page covers wildfire activity, prescribed burning operations, and the transport of smoke from out-of-state sources.

2. Ready your home/building:

   Protect Yourself from Smoke and Extreme Heat | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
   Extreme heat and smoke can be dangerous, and exposure to both at the same time can be even worse for your health. This EPA resource includes information about actions you can take to protect yourself and your family during a wildfire smoke event, including tips on controlling temperature when also controlling smoke indoors.

   For homes and buildings without central AC, it can be a challenge to keep the space cool when wildfire smoke means you need to close windows and doors. Keeping blinds or window shades closed during the day can help keep indoor spaces cool. At night, when temperatures cool, open the windows and use fans to try to exhaust hot air out and draw in cooler air. Once the indoor space has cooled down, close the windows/doors again to hold that cooler air inside and limit smoke entering the home.

   If your home or building uses window-unit ACs, portable ACs with a hose, or evaporative coolers (aka ‘swamp coolers’), keep in mind that these types of units typically pull air in from outside, and do not contain filters that trap smoke. This can  bring smoke into your home or building, so the EPA recommends using these devices sparingly during wildfire smoke events. If you do use them, make sure the seals around the unit and the window/wall/door are tight, and use supplemental portable air cleaners or DIY box fan filters in the space to combat the pollution brought in by the unit. If using an evaporative cooler (aka ‘swamp cooler’), if it is safe to access it, you can temporarily completely cover the outside air intakes with 4-inch-thick high-efficiency (MERV 13) furnace filters, which will help trap smoke pollutants and stop them from entering your space. This document has step-by-step instructions on how to do this.

   Create a Clean Room to Protect Indoor Air Quality During a Wildfire | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
   If smoke levels are unhealthy, setting up a ‘clean room’ or ‘cleaner air space’ can help reduce exposure to smoke while staying indoors. A clean room should be free from activities that create particles such as cooking or smoking, and the doors and windows should be kept closed to prevent smoke from entering. A clean room can also include a properly sized portable air cleaner that helps maintain cleaner air than the rest of the home or building.

   If you can’t stay cool at home, too much smoke is still entering your home, or the power goes out, staying in a clean room may not be the best option for you. It may be best to seek shelter elsewhere. Consider staying with friends or family, or seeking relief from the smoke in another location with air conditioning and good air filtration.

   Wildfire Smoke Indoor Air Filtration | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
   If you are using portable air cleaners to manage wildfire smoke indoors, follow these recommendations to make sure that your air cleaner continues to run efficiently. Also be sure you are operating the right air cleaner size for your space by checking the ‘smoke Clean Air Delivery Rate’ (‘smoke CADR’) on the product specifications. The smoke CADR should match or exceed the room’s square footage to efficiently reduce smoke in a room.

   Do It Yourself! How to Build a DIY Air Cleaner | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
   This EPA video demonstrates how to build a DIY air cleaner that can help reduce smoke concentrations indoors when commercially available portable air cleaners are not available or affordable.

3. Protect yourself outside:

   Wildfire Smoke and Face Masks for the General Public | Washington State Department of Health
   The most effective ways to protect yourself from wildfire smoke are to stay indoors with cleaner indoor air, limit your time outdoors, and reduce physical activity when possible. People who must be outside during smoky air events may benefit from wearing properly-fitted N95 or KN95 masks. This resource explains the proper use of face masks for the general public. Anyone with health conditions, such as those listed in the EPA’s list of Wildfire Smoke At-Risk Groups of People, should check with their health care provider before using a mask.

AirNow Smoke and Fire Map 
This interactive real-time map provides information to help protect your health from wildfire smoke. See the current particle pollution air quality information for your location, as well as locations of fires and smoke plumes. You can also find recommendations for actions to take to protect yourself from smoke. The Map is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service-led Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Colorado Local Emergency Managers | Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Know how to get emergency alerts before you need them. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has compiled a list of county-level emergency management websites, contact information and alert systems to stay informed before, during, and after a disaster.

Colorado Hazard Information: Wildfire | Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Information from the Colorado Department of Public Safety on how to prepare and defend yourself, your family, and your home from a wildfire.  

Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials
A detailed guide designed to help local public health officials prepare for smoke events, to take measures to protect the public when smoke is present, and communicate with the public about wildfire smoke and health. The Wildfire Guide Post-Publication Updates provides public health officials with the latest information between revisions of the Guide.

Create a Clean Room to Protect Indoor Air Quality During a Wildfire | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
If smoke levels are unhealthy and forecasted to remain there, setting up and using a clean room can help reduce exposure to smoke while staying indoors. The Environmental Protection Agency provides information about how to create a clean room that can be used at home and in some larger buildings.

Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke | CDC
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information for vulnerable populations on ways to reduce wildfire smoke exposures. Includes information for populations that are pregnant, children, and with chronic conditions.

Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Commercial Buildings | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
This page provides resources for building managers, school facility managers, public health officials, and emergency managers to reduce smoke concentrations in buildings during wildfires.

Schools as Cleaner Air and Cooling Centers: Tips for Facility Managers, Principals, Teachers, and Parents and Caregivers | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency provides information and resources to help guide school facility managers, principals, and teachers, on reducing the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality.

Guidance for Health Professionals: Information on Health Risks of Wildfires for Children | Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units
The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units provides healthcare professionals with guidance and information about the health risks in children associated with wildfire smoke exposure, as well as recommendations to reduce exposures.

Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools
This AirNow.gov resource indicates when and how to modify outdoor physical activity based on the Air Quality Index. This at-a-glance guidance can help protect the health of all children, including teenagers, who are more sensitive than adults to air pollution.

Planning Framework for Protecting Commercial Building Occupants from Smoke During Wildfire Events | ASHRAE
This ASHRAE document offers strategies to protect occupants in commercial buildings from the health risks associated with wildfire smoke. The framework provides information on HVAC and building measures to minimize occupant exposures to wildfire smoke, and on developing a  Smoke Readiness Plan to prepare for smoke events.

Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Commercial Buildings | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Resources from the Environmental Protection Agency for building owners and managers, school facility managers, public health officials, and emergency managers to reduce smoke concentrations in buildings during wildfires.

Preparing for a Wildfire | Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for early childhood programs about preparing for, and responding to, wildfires and wildfire smoke. Includes links to information about making an emergency plan with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs and the National Requirements and Recommendations for Child Care Emergency Preparedness.

Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This resource from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addresses the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality, potential health risks associated with wildfire smoke exposures, and actions to take before, during, and after wildfire events to minimize the impacts on indoor air quality and health.

Wildfire Smoke and Health
This page includes general information about receiving alerts, monitoring conditions in your area, updates on specific wildfires, tips on reducing exposure to wildfire smoke, and resources from other agencies on safety and preparedness.

Colorado Air Quality
CDPHE provides important information on air quality monitoring, forecasts, and data for Colorado. This website includes state-wide air quality conditions, maps, and reports.

Colorado Smoke Blog
Provides updated information about wildfire and prescribed burn smoke events around Colorado. The blog also includes additional wildfire smoke information and resources.

Indoor Air Quality After a Fire
Health and safety information for residents and businesses who are cleaning up soot and ash inside buildings after a wildfire event.

Wood Smoke and Your Health
Information about health concerns related to indoor burning, prescribed fires, and open burns. Includes more information about finding Colorado wildfires and prescribed fire information.