Climate change has increased the prevalence and intensity of wildfire events in the Pacific Northwest. Exposure to wildfire smoke has been linked to several adverse health outcomes, most notably respiratory-related morbidity and mortality. Local public health response to reducing a community’s exposure has primarily focused on communicating risks to the public and provide suggestions to reduce exposure risk. Effectively communicating the health effects of wildfire smoke and the interventions possible to reducing exposure is imperative for reducing adverse health outcomes during smoke events. In order to discern the messages the public received, we conducted a content analysis of wildfire smoke risk information communicated by local and state government organizations and by the mainstream media during the August 2018, statewide wildfire smoke event in Washington state. The Extended Parallel Process efficacy and risk framework was used to assess the presence and message content of wildfire smoke risk and efficacy information. Summary statistics were calculated to identify common messages about efficacy recommendations, vulnerable populations, and trusted sources of public health information. With these results, we hope public health jurisdictions will better understand the extent of their wildfire smoke risk messages and improve their standing as trusted sources of information in the community. Through the use of the extended parallel process framework-- a “recipe” for future wildfire season communication can be created.

The Methow Valley is a community located in Okanogan County, WA that has experienced wildfires in 4 of the past 5 years. The Methow Valley Clean Air Project (MVCAP) is a local volunteer group that promotes air quality awareness through outreach and programming. MVCAP’s Purple Air Network was designed to provide access to spatial air quality information to help community members make decisions about protective actions, to identify relatively clean air spaces, and to serve as a public health invervention for wildfire smoke. In collaboration with MVCAP, we worked to install a network of 20 purple air monitors in the summer of 2018. The monitors were placed in homes of “Clean Air Ambassadors” who committed to maintain and promote the monitor. For calibration, each monitor was placed according to federal guidelines and two were collocated with nephelometers maintained by Washington Department of Ecology. During the summer of 2018, two wildfires burned nearby which allowed the monitors to be utilized in a wildfire smoke event. The data from the monitors was downloaded and compared to the nephelometer data using linear regression. I worked to establish a correction factor by analyzing the data and found that the Purple Air monitor over reported the PM2.5 concentration by a factor of 0.53 and even more at high concentrations. The network proved the importance of high spatial concentration monitoring by capturing the air quality variation. In some areas, the air quality was good while in others it was hazardous. Having the network is a tool for individuals to know what the air quality is near their homes and other places in their community. It allowed individuals to access local air quality data and make choices about poor air quality. The next step for MVCAP is designing an online interface that applies the correction factor directly to accurately communicate risk.

Clallam County has recently been experiencing concerning air quality conditions due to smoke drift from wildfire events in nearby areas. The objective of this study was to assess the wildfire smoke health-risk communication needs of organizations that serve the public in Clallam County. Communication needs were assessed by surveying 10 organizations that serve sensitive populations. Surveys were conducted in person or over the phone, and summary statistics were calculated. In addition, a low-cost air monitor was installed to track summer time air quality. The low-cost air monitor was installed adjacent to a nephelometer administered by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA). This was done to determine the accuracy of the low-cost air monitor by comparing air quality values registered from both devices. The majority (60%) of organizations responding to the survey reported that they had not received information about the health risks of wildfire smoke. Nearly all organizations (90%) reported that they have the capacity and are willing to communicate the health-risks of wildfire smoke to the people they serve in Clallam County. Analysis of air quality data shows the low-cost monitor may be a useful device in determining air quality conditions. The correlation coefficient for the daily averages (from July 12 to August 24) between the ORCAA nephelometer and the low-cost air monitor was determined to be 0.98, but closer examination of data for hourly averages show a correlation coefficient as low as 0.82. Future wildfire smoke events in Clallam County require public health interventions to address health-risk communication needs of sensitive populations. Implementation of a low-cost air monitor network accessible by the public is a promising prospect to protect sensitive populations in Clallam County.