(BOISE) To help protect you and your loved ones from wildfire smoke and poor air quality days, the Idaho Conservation League has created a worksheet for folks to understand their health risks and make a plan.
ICL’s Wildfire Smoke Protection Plan is available at www.idahoconservation.org/air.
Josh Johnson, ICL’s conservation associate, said, “Smoky summers due to wildfires are the norm throughout Idaho and the West, and with the growing impacts from climate change, this trend will only get worse.”
Smoke can cause serious health concerns and such issues can arise long before a region fills with smoke. Individuals, families and communities can prepare for these poor air quality days by creating their own plan based on ICL’s worksheet.
There’s no “one size fits all” approach so ICL’s worksheet can be tailored to your needs. Some folks are more sensitive to air pollution than others due to medical conditions or from working outdoors. They may need to see a doctor or stop activity at lower levels of air pollution.
Johnson added, “The important thing is to create a plan that works for you and your family and stick to it when air pollution gets bad.”
Clean air is at the heart of much of ICL’s work. ICL participates in collaborative groups to build healthy, resilient forests better suited to handle wildfires and climate change. It drives ICL’s ambition to make Idaho a leader in renewable energy. And it’s the reason ICL strives to protect public health — by working to reduce air pollution from industrial activity and tracking any new laws or regulations that impact the air you breathe.
-###-