MISSOULA — Fire season is here and, while the smoke has not been too bad in Missoula, it is always good to be prepared. Next week is Missoula’s fifth annual “Wildfire Smoke Ready Week.”
“We tend to get smoke every year, some years worse than ever,” said Amy Cilimburg, executive director of Climate Smart Missoula. “We never know exactly what we're going to get, but we want our community to be prepared.”
That is where “Wildfire Smoke Ready Week” comes in, from July 12 to July 19. Cilimburg said it is a collaborative effort to get the community thinking about smoke before it rolls in.
“It's a great opportunity to talk to somebody who knows a little bit about smoke, about what are the risks, who's vulnerable, and also what to do,” Cilimburg said.
There are events and information put on by Climate Smart Missoula, Missoula Public Health, United Way, Missoula County Sustainability and the Missoula County Fire Protection Association. The week kicks off this Saturday, with tables at the Missoula Farmers’ Markets. They will also be at Out to Lunch and the Missoula Public Library with information and a raffle to win an air filter.
“Right now the projection for July, August and September, anyway, is to be hotter than average and drier than average,” Cilimburg said. “And, when you get those conditions, we are just likely to see some fires and where there's fires we get smoke.”
Tips for staying healthy include checking out the local air quality, on websites like airnow.gov, reducing physical activity, reducing exposure to smokey air and using an air filter inside. More information can be found on montanawildfiresmoke.org.
“Once you know a little bit about wildfire smoke, tell your neighbors, talk to your friends, make sure folks that maybe are new to Missoula and haven't really experienced smoke have what they need,” Cilimburg said. “It’s a lot of helping each other and helping people realize that even if we have smoke, it doesn't last forever.”
