Recovery Response Objectives • When the fire is contained and smoke is no longer present, building and home cleanup may be required. This may necessitate a disaster recovery professional. • Residents will want to return to their homes/ businesses that have been destroyed or damaged to salvage what they can. Provide messaging on safety precautions to be taken in the primary languages spoken in the community. • Environmental public health staff may be asked to provide guidance on removing smoke and ash contamination. Public demand may require establishing call centers to address questions and complaints, although it is ideal to include as much information as possible on your website, as well as a digital submission process. • Because ash may be present throughout a household or building, cleanup guidelines should address how to minimize exposure. Protective outer gear should be worn, including good boots, gloves, masks, and long-sleeved clothing. • There may be items that are uncleanable. • Ensure returning residents and occupants are aware that their retrieval activities may stir up ash and dust and that exposure to sensitive populations should be minimized. • Ensure communities are aware of protocols and safeguards for cleanup that may generate ash and soot within structures. • Translate all communications into languages primarily spoken in the impacted area.
Key Cross Section/Specialty Partners Many organizations are involved with air quality including governmental, non-governmental, pri - vate businesses, and universities or colleges. Take advantage of opportunities to foster cross-section/ specialty partnerships during and after a wildfire. For example, if there are no sampling capabilities in smaller rural jurisdictions, are there federal, state, or local agencies, or colleges/universities that could help with sampling? Look to these outside entities for assistance, if needed. The Washington State Department of Health 32 recognizes the public health threats from wildfire smoke and in 2018 established a Wildfire Smoke Impacts Advisory Group. Representatives from state and local health jurisdictions, tribal represen - tatives, public information officers, health officers and academic professionals meet to develop con- sistent messaging and fact-based health guidance for agencies developing guidance for the public. 33 The Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program ( IWFAQRP) 34 was created to directly assess, communicate, and address risks posed by wildland fire smoke. The program depends on four primary components: specially trained personnel called Air Resource Advisors, air quality monitoring, smoke concentration and dis - persion modeling, and coordination and cooperation with agency partners.
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