If you’re from Idaho you know that wildfire season is nearly
upon us and if you’re new to Idaho, here’s your warning: Wildfire season is
almost here! And where there’s fire, there’s smoke. Not only will smoke take
away your chance to see our beautiful Idaho scenery, you could have an itchy
throat, watery eyes, and trouble breathing if you do head outside.
Smoke is particularly harmful for the elderly, the very
young, pregnant people, and those with heart and lung conditions. There are
things you can do to protect yourself from smoke impacts though. First and
foremost, prepare your home for a season of smoke – check your home for air
leaks, get as good of a filter as you can, and prepare to hunker down if you’re
one of those smoke sensitive individuals. You could even create a clean air
room in your home with an air cleaner. If that isn’t possible, look to public
health officials to identify clean air spaces that you can visit and get some
relief from the smoke.
If you do go outside, there are two easy steps you can do
before you head out for the day – and you can do both right here on this blog.
Start by checking the AQI map and seeing the air quality nearest you or where
you plan to play. Secondly, during the wildfire season there will be a smoke
forecast posted each day to let you know what kind of smoke impacts are
expected for the day (start checking back in June). Using these tools, take action to protect yourself based
on your personal level of tolerance and sensitivity to smoke.
So before you go, take a moment to check out this blog and
get familiar with the information available here. Read through some old posts
on health (Particulate Matter, Protect Yourself, Filters, Air Quality) . Click through the tabs at the top and tour
the links. You’ve got some time to prepare but don’t leave it too late! Summer
is coming and with it will come wildfire smoke.
