Health Tips for Wildfire Smoke

Deschutes County Health Services advises residents to take health precautions during periods of smoke. Smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions. People most at risk include infants and young children, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and pregnant women.

Protect yourself from wildfire smoke

• Reduce time spent outdoors when smoke is present.
• Use an indoor high-efficiency air filter (HEPA) or electrostatic precipitator in your home to help create one or more rooms with cleaner air to breathe.
• Set your A/C or heating unit to recycle or recirculate when at home or in your car.
• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
• Reduce other sources of indoor smoke and dust, including: burning cigarettes, candles, gas or propane ranges, wood burning stoves and furnaces, and vacuuming.
• If you have heart or lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma, follow your health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.

Create a cleaner air room in your home

• Use a portable air cleaner in one or more rooms. Portable air cleaners work best when run continuously with doors and windows closed.
• If you have a forced air system in your home, you may need to speak with a qualified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) professional about different filters (HEPA or MERV-13 or higher) and settings (“Recirculate” and “On” rather than “Auto”) you can use to reduce indoor smoke.
• Consider using a DIY box fan filtration unit with a MERV filter rated 13 or higher. Never leave it unattended. Find step-by-step directions here.
• During periods of extreme heat, pay attention to temperature forecasts and know how to stay safe in the heat.
• Whenever you can, use air conditioners, heat pumps, fans, and window shades to keep your cleaner air space comfortably cool on hot days.
• Avoid activities that create more indoor and outdoor air pollution, such as frying foods, sweeping, vacuuming, and using gas-powered appliances.

What types of masks may help with wildfire smoke

Cloth, dust and surgical masks don’t protect from the harmful particles in smoke. N95 or P100 respirators approved by NIOSH may offer protection, but they must be properly fitted and worn. They won’t work for everyone, especially children. People with heart or lung conditions should consult their doctor before wearing a respirator.

Stay up-to-date on air quality

For current information on air quality, visit https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map or use the 5-3-1 visibility index:

• If visibility is well over five miles, the air quality is generally good.
• Even if visibility is five miles away but generally hazy, air quality is moderate and beginning to deteriorate, and is generally healthy, except possibly for smoke sensitive persons. The general public should avoid prolonged exposure if conditions are smoky to the point where visibility is closer to the 5-mile range.
• If under five miles, the air quality is unhealthy for young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness. These people should minimize outdoor activity.
• If under three miles, the air quality is unhealthy for everyone.  Young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness. These people should minimize outdoor activity.
• If under one mile, the air quality is unhealthy for everyone.  Everyone should avoid all outdoor activities.

Sign up for emergency alerts

You can sign up for emergency alerts to be notified of evacuations at www.deschutes.org/911/alerts. 

Groups more sensitive to smoke

Smoke may worsen symptoms for people who have pre-existing health conditions and those who are particularly sensitive to air pollution. Contact your health care provider to develop a smoke plan.

• Persons with asthma or other chronic respiratory diseases, such as COPD
• Persons with cardiovascular disease
• Persons 65 years of age or older
• Infants and children
• Pregnant women
• Smokers, especially those who have smoked for several years