Wildfire Health Safety Tips and Precautions [Video] | hioscar Blog | Oscar
Wildfire Health Safety Tips and Precautions [Video]
As wildfires spread across the Western Coast, we put together a few tips to help you and your family stay safe.
Virtual CareClinically Speaking
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As wildfires continue to spread across the Western Coast of the United States during this already difficult time, we wanted to put together a few tips to help you and your family stay safe.
Listen (opens in new tab) along to Dr. Stephanie Reznick in this latest "From the Frontlines" segment.
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Editorial Video | Wildfire health safety tips and precautions [Video]
Video Transcript
“Hi everyone, it's Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznick. I'm a board-certified internist and one of the medical directors for virtual care here at Oscar.
In today's segment, I'd like to talk about the wildfires out west. A lot of people have been asking how it could affect their health. Well, of course the fire itself is dangerous but smoke inhalation can cause a lot of problems too as the smoke contains microscopic particles that can really irritate your heart and lungs and other parts of your body.
Anyone can feel symptoms and they can range from burning, irritated eyes, coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, irritated sinuses, headache, and fatigue, just to name a few symptoms.
Like I said anyone can be affected by the smoke but those who have underlying heart or lung diseases, those who are young old or pregnant are all at a higher risk of having symptoms due to smoke exposure.
Smoke exposure also increases inflammation in the body and is thought to possibly contribute to the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. In fact, during the wildfire times in San Francisco, Stanford has noted an increase in the number of patients presenting with a heart attack or stroke and I think this might be due to the wildfire smoke exposure.
So, what can you do to stay safe? Well, if you have a heart or lung condition, make sure to speak to your physician or other health care provider to make sure you have all the medications you need and you know what to do if the smoke or something else were to flare or exacerbate your underlying condition.
It's also very important to pay attention to any public notices and follow any recommendations to evacuate or stay indoors. On days in which you need to stay indoors, you should also keep the doors closed and the windows closed.
If you have an air conditioner, keep it running but make sure that the fresh air intake is closed. An air filter is a good idea both on the air conditioning unit and a standalone air filtration system which can be bought at many different retail stores. Make sure to read the manufacturer's instructions on how to use the unit and how frequently to replace the filter.
Another important step in staying safe during the fires is not adding to indoor air pollution. This means avoiding having any open flame such as from smoking, having a fireplace on, or burning a candle. It's also important to avoid vacuuming as vacuuming can take air particles that have already settled on the ground and push it back into the air again where you can then inhale these particles and the symptoms and issues that I discussed earlier can arise.
Going back to evacuation, it's always important to have a first aid and evacuation kit on hand. It should include extra food and water as well as any medication or other health care supplies that you, your family members — including the furry ones — may need.
In case you need to evacuate, of course, you may also consider purchasing extra insurance for your house since you can't bring your home with you if you were to need to evacuate.
When it's safe to return home after evacuation, make sure not to go near any downed power lines or exposed wires. Be especially careful with children and animals as there can still be burning embers that can burn you. Any food that was exposed to smoke or heat needs to be thrown away as well.
A note on masks
I want to say a word about masks. Masks, of course, play an important role during COVID-19 but they also can help protect you against the air particles that are dangerous from the wildfire smoke. N95 and P100s are recommended but they can be hard to come by. This is why cloth masks are also recommended. It's better than nothing and does tend to protect you against about 50% of the air particles that we are concerned about.
Another thing you can do to keep yourself healthy during the wildfires is to keep an eye on the Air Quality Index or AQI. It's a measurement of how safe the air is to breathe in. Anything at 100 or below is considered safe. Once you hit 100 or above that's when it's considered to potentially be a health problem. You can check out the CDC (the Center for Disease Control) website as they have many other tips to help keep you safe during the fires.
Of course, if you're an Oscar member, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Virtual Urgent Care, also known as the Doctor on Call team, for any medical advice or tips you may need.”
Video published 2020-09-23
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
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