Dear neighbors,
All of our families and businesses are affected by the summer heat–and wildfire season.
I want to share a free resource for helping you deal with the heat and smoke.
For the latest updates, please visit the Snohomish County Public Safety Hub, available in multiple languages. Or check the King County resource pages on wildfire smoke and extreme heat.
The site includes tips on how to check air quality forecasts along with printable flyers, safety tips, and videos. Here’s a sample of what you can find:
- Heat and Smoke Rack Cards: Available in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian. Great for placing at entry ways, brochure racks, or passing out by hand.
- Social media: Smoke safety post shared by Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, Health Department, Fire District, Clean Air Agency, and National Weather Service.
- Printable flyers: Links to Smoke From Wildfires – Toolkit | Washington State Department of Health includes flyers in multiple languages. Great for placing at entry ways or front desks.
And here are smart ways you can protect your health:
- Consider purchasing a portable air cleaner with HEPA filter. See choosing a portable air cleaner and Best Air Purifiers of 2023 for ideas.
- Assemble your own DIY Air Filter
- Create a Clean Air Room
- Sign up for SnoCoAlerts to receive important life-safety information from Snohomish County
- Sign up for the Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response newsletter to receive critical updates on wildfire, heat, and smoke sheltering and other supportive efforts.
If you want to help, the county is seeking locations to get listed as Cleaner Air Centers during extreme smoke events. Such centers need to have HVAC systems with MERV-13 rated filters. To list your location as a Cleaner Air Center, please complete this form or forward the form to other potential partners. For more information on extreme heat safety, resources, and cooling centers, please see Heat/Cooling Centers | Snohomish County Public Safety Hub.
For information on how to help prevent wildfires, please visit this resource page from the Department of Natural Resources.
We passed strong reforms this year when it comes to dealing with extreme heat–including a new law stopping utilities from shutting off power when it’s deadly hot–and I’ll continue to work on legislation and funding to prevent wildfires and fight climate change.
Stay safe out there!
