Air Quality Events
Learn more about air quality events, what to do and how to stay safe.
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
In this action, we’ll look at important things to know about smoke and other air quality events, how to plan for them and lower your risks, and what to do during an air quality event so that you and your loved ones can be prepared!
How to do this action:
- Read this action with your family or housemates to learn about Air Quality events as part of the Make A Plan action!
- Add any items as needed to your Plan, Kit and Household Prep actions.
Before completing this action complete the Find Risks & Resources action to see if this disaster applies to you!
1Step 1: Learn About Air Quality Events
What causes an Air Quality event and when are they likely to happen?
Wildfires/Fires: Even if your home is not at risk for wildfires, there may be times when smoke from fires in the area or even far away is carried to your community. Wildfire smoke has fine particles and gases that can quickly lower air quality and create a significant hazard to your health. This is also the case for local building fires or any fires that burn wood or organic materials. Be sure to read the Wildfires action if you are in an area at risk for wildfires.
Burning fossil fuels: When fossil fuels like gasoline, coal or natural gas are burned they release dangerous gases such as Sulfur Oxides (SOx), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Particulate Matter which are small harmful particles in the air. All of these create a health hazard. When Nitrogen Oxides and VOCs are mixed with sunlight it creates Ground level Ozone, which is a powerful pollutant and the main ingredient in Smog. Hot, sunny days with little wind are a recipe for high Ozone levels.
You are more likely to experience an Air Quality event from burning fossil fuels if you live in an urban area, particularly near major freeways, in an industrial area or near a power plant. However, wind can send air pollution even out to rural areas. If you live within 500 feet of a freeway or high traffic road you may be exposed to much higher levels of particulate matter.
Note: We burn fossil fuels when: we drive cars or trucks powered by gasoline, when we use natural gas, propane or fuel oil to heat our homes or businesses, when industry uses fossil fuels to power manufacturing, when we burn coal or natural gas to create electricity and other processes. Burning fossil fuels is also the primary cause of climate change! If we transition to clean energy sources and away from fossil fuels, we will also get much cleaner air! Imagine the clean air and blue skies…
Chemical releases: There are some industrial processes that can release large amounts of hazardous chemicals into the air like oil refineries or chemical manufacturing plants. If there is a malfunction or other issue at an industrial facility, this may result in a release of dangerous chemicals into the air. Chemical releases can happen at any time.
Dust: A number of events can cause air pollution from particulate matter including construction, unpaved roads or dust storms.
Volcanoes: A rare event, volcanoes can also cause an Air Quality event close by or even far from the eruption zone.
Health impacts:
Air Quality events can cause significant health issues, particularly for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing health issues such as asthma, lung disease or heart disease. Particulate matter can get deep in your lungs or even into your bloodstream and gasses like NOx, SOx and Ozone can make it difficult to breathe, increase susceptibility to lung infection and can exacerbate asthma or other lung diseases. Carbon Monoxide (CO) reduces the amount of oxygen that can be transported in your bloodstream which can be especially hazardous to people with some types of heart disease.
Air Quality & Equity:
Often the neighborhoods with the highest levels of air pollution are low income neighborhoods. This is primarily due to the fact that the most polluting factories and power plants are generally located in low income neighborhoods. Neighborhoods close to major freeways are also often low income neighborhoods. It is important to think about all of our neighbors when we think about the importance of clean air. It should be clean for all, not just some. Switching away from using fossil fuels will have a big impact in helping to clean up air pollution and improve air quality for all neighborhoods!
Measuring Air Quality: An air quality index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted the air is. In the US, the index goes from 0 to 500, the higher the number, the greater the pollution and the health concern. You can look at your area’s current and forecasted air quality on AirNow.
2Step 2: Add to your Emergency Preparedness Kit and Plan
Add these items to your Kit for air quality event preparedness:
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For smoke or air quality event:
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Add two N95 masks or other respirators per person. Regular dust masks will not filter out the tiny particles from fire smoke. (Note that reusable respirators are not made to fit children.)
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Make sure to have plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal off gaps in windows and doors to keep contaminated air out if you shelter at home. Consider adding in some extra towels to your kit to also help with sealing gaps.
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Consider purchasing a HEPA-grade air purifier to improve air quality inside your home. Some smoke events can last days or even weeks where sheltering in place is not possible and some smoke will enter your home. A good quality air filter will help provide cleaner and healthier air inside your home.
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Add these steps to your Plan for air quality event preparedness:
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Know your evacuation route & zone: If you haven’t yet looked up your evacuation zone and route, do that now! Search online for “evacuation zone” and your city or county name.
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Plan for air quality: decide on a room in your home that can be closed off from outside air.
3Step 3: Add to your household prep plans
If you live in an area prone to air quality issues, there is one major way you can make your home more prepared!
Add this step to your household prep plan:
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Consider weatherizing your home by sealing air leaks around doors and windows. This will reduce the amount of air entering during an air quality event. It will also save you energy and money when you are heating or cooling your home!
4Step 4: Learn what to do during an air quality event
Even if your home is safe from wildfire, there may be wildfire smoke or other events which cause hazardous air quality. In an Air Quality event, you may need to shelter at home. Listen to safety alert channels and follow all instructions from local authorities! There are different kinds of Air Quality events and they have different instructions. Some common instructions:
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Stay inside. In some cases you need to stay inside until told it is safe to leave (ex: chemical release), in other cases you need to stay in as much as possible (ex: wildfire smoke).
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Keep indoor air clean by closing all doors and windows, turn off fans and air conditioning systems (or set to recirculate), and cover doors, windows, and vents with towels or sheets to block outside air.
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If advised to do so by local alerts, move to the room you designated as your safe/clean air room.
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If you have an air purifier, turn it on and keep it running. If the Air Quality Index or AQI is 100-200, it is hazardous for sensitive groups and over 200, it is hazardous for everyone. Find your current AQI at AirNow. If it is over 200 (or over 100 if you are in a sensitive group), it is recommended to use an air purifier.
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If it is ok to leave your home, limit your trips outside as much as possible - use your emergency kit for supplies as much as possible. If you do need to go outside, use an N95 respirator mask (if advised). Also limit your physical activity outdoors. Keep children, the elderly or anyone with lung or heart conditions indoors unless absolutely necessary.
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Limit using anything that adds to indoor air pollution such as candles, fireplaces and gas stoves.
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Keep pets inside as much as possible.
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In the event of a chemical release, you should receive an alert on local safety alert channels with instructions on what to do. However, if you live near an industrial area or power plant and smell something or start feeling sick, close your doors and windows and call authorities or 911 immediately.
5Step 5: Learn what to do right after an air quality event
If you’ve had to evacuate, it may be just a few hours or many days before you can return home. When you do, remember it’s normal to feel anxiety or grief, so take care of yourself and your loved ones. The most important thing is that you and your loved ones are safe, and you’ve done what you could to lower your risks and protect your home.
Basic Necessities:
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Shelter: If your home isn’t safe or habitable and you can’t stay with neighbors or friends, find a local shelter near you. You can:
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text SHELTER and your zip code to 4FEMA (43362), e.g. SHELTER 01234.
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Search on the FEMA app or Red Cross app for open shelters.
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In the FEMA app, click “Disaster Resources” → “Shelters” → “Map View”
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In the Red Cross app, click the Maps icon on the bottom right.
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Food & Water: If you do not have access to food and water, or if you’re not certain your supplies are safe to consume, find a local food bank by contacting a shelter or through feedingamerica.org.
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First aid: If anyone is seriously sick or injured, call 911. If you are not sure if the injury warrants a trip to the hospital, err on the side of caution and go to the hospital or local urgent care. Here is a list of some of the signs that you should go to the emergency room. If the injury is minor, administer first aid if you are trained and contact your healthcare provider for instructions.
Once you know everyone is safe:
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Contact family and friends, including your out-of-area emergency contact. For non-emergencies, use text or social media to reduce the strain on phone systems. Check in on your neighbors - this is a time we need to lean on each other.
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Wait for authorities to confirm that it’s safe to return to your area. When you get home, enter carefully and be mindful of hazards.
Refer to the Recovery action for tips and resources on recovery after an air quality event.