When communicating about wildfire smoke, we recommend you use the emergency alert post type on Nextdoor since it reaches neighbors immediately independent of how often they use Nextdoor via an in-app push notification and an immediate email (given the neighbor has not opted out of these notification types or messages from your agency).
In addition to posting emergency alerts for wildfire smoke, you can use them for timely messages such as:
- Severe weather events (advisories, watches, and warnings)
- Evacuation, shelter in place, and boil water notices
- Unplanned road and bridge closures, major traffic accidents, water/gas/sewer main ruptures, etc.
- Missing and endangered person advisories
- Whenever there is an immediate threat to life or property
You will also likely find this experimental tool that provides a wildfire smoke forecast helpful. ##
Suggested Post about Wildfire Smoke
Image: Grab a screenshot of your area from https://fire.airnow.gov/#
Wildfire smoke from Canada is impacting much of our area today (Date). The smoke contains several compounds which can harm health at high concentrations. You may experience the following:
🤕 Headaches
👁️ Eye & sinus irritation
😴 Fatigue
😮💨 Difficulty breathing
❤️ Chest pains
💨 Asthma attacks
😖 Irritated throat
😷 Increased coughing
Fine particulate matter is a significant component of smoke – it can travel long distances and can move deeply into the lungs when we breathe. Sensitive groups, including young children, those over 65, and individuals with reduced respiratory and heart function, are especially susceptible to particulate matter in the air from smoke.
✅ Please check in on neighbors in these sensitive groups and see if they are ok and if they need help running errands etc.
➡️ To stay safe, limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity; wearing a high-quality mask like an N95 outdoors will help.
In addition:
1) Keep the windows and doors closed to prevent the smoke from entering your home. You can use air conditioning or fans to circulate the air inside, but please ensure the air intake is set to recirculate mode to avoid drawing in outdoor air.
2) Consider using a portable air purifier with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, as it can help remove fine particles from the air. Suppose you have a forced-air heating, cooling, or air exchange system. In that case, upgrading to a filter rated MERV 13 or higher can be especially important during smoky periods to effectively remove fine particle pollution from smoke in the indoor air.
3) Stay informed: Refer to https://fire.airnow.gov/# to see the air quality in your area and follow any advice or guidelines from local authorities or public health agencies. They may recommend when it's safe to be outdoors or if there are any specific precautions you should take. Explore a new experimental tool that provides a wildfire smoke forecast - https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/
4) Avoid activities that can introduce additional smoke or pollutants into your home, such as smoking, burning candles, using gas stoves without proper ventilation, and vacuuming, as doing so can stir up particles.
5) Wildfire smoke can cause dryness and irritation in the throat and respiratory system. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and soothe your throat.
See medical attention if you experience severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, or dizziness.
For information, see https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/when-smoke-is-in-the-air/
Kindly repost this message to your neighbors on Nextdoor by clicking the "Share" button/arrow below and then "Repost in newsfeed."
