Last updated October 10, 2024
- Fill out our Program Interest Form to join our Partner Education and Training Network to receive program updates and information on wildfire smoke preparedness.
- For general questions or specific information about the program, email cdphe_indoorairquality@state.co.us.
Past webinar recordings and resources
CDPHE’s Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program provides outreach, education, and training for local community partners on responding to wildfire smoke and its impacts on community health. This Program is funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grant Program.
Unhealthy levels of wildfire smoke are increasingly affecting Colorado. Wildfire smoke contains harmful particles and chemicals. While conventional advice is to stay inside during wildfire events, smoke can enter buildings, making indoor air unhealthy. Our program supports schools and communities in developing wildfire smoke preparedness plans, focusing on providing healthy indoor air and creating Clean Air Centers for community members.
Our Partner Education and Training Network connects participants with the latest information on wildfire smoke preparedness in community and school buildings through newsletters, webinars, and hybrid workshops. The program will host a series of interactive hybrid workshops across Colorado. These workshops will cover topics like identifying wildfire smoke impacts on indoor air quality, preparing community and school buildings to mitigate wildfire smoke exposures, and implementing effective building management practices.
Additionally, Colorado schools, including those that have participated in the 2023 Clean Air for Schools Program, can receive training on indoor air quality monitoring, as well as building management best practices and using HEPA portable air cleaners to create cleaner air spaces in their school buildings. Schools can also learn how to serve as Cleaner Air Centers for their communities.
If you are interested in joining our Partner Education and Training Network, fill out our Program Interest Form. Check back for updates and resources, as well as information on upcoming program events. For general questions or specific information about the program, email cdphe_indoorairquality@state.co.us.
AirNow Smoke and Fire Map
This interactive real-time map provides information to help protect your health from wildfire smoke. See the current particle pollution air quality information for your location, as well as locations of fires and smoke plumes. You can also find recommendations for actions to take to protect yourself from smoke. The Map is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service-led Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Colorado Local Emergency Managers | Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Know how to get emergency alerts before you need them. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has compiled a list of county-level emergency management websites, contact information and alert systems to stay informed before, during, and after a disaster.
Colorado Hazard Information: Wildfire | Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Information from the Colorado Department of Public Safety on how to prepare and defend yourself, your family, and your home from a wildfire.
Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials
A detailed guide designed to help local public health officials prepare for smoke events, to take measures to protect the public when smoke is present, and communicate with the public about wildfire smoke and health. The Wildfire Guide Post-Publication Updates provides public health officials with the latest information between revisions of the Guide.
Create a Clean Room to Protect Indoor Air Quality During a Wildfire | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
If smoke levels are unhealthy and forecasted to remain there, setting up and using a clean room can help reduce exposure to smoke while staying indoors. The Environmental Protection Agency provides information about how to create a clean room that can be used at home and in some larger buildings.
Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke | CDC
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information for vulnerable populations on ways to reduce wildfire smoke exposures. Includes information for populations that are pregnant, children, and with chronic conditions.
Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Commercial Buildings | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This page provides resources for building managers, school facility managers, public health officials, and emergency managers to reduce smoke concentrations in buildings during wildfires.
Schools as Cleaner Air and Cooling Centers: Tips for Facility Managers, Principals, Teachers, and Parents and Caregivers | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency provides information and resources to help guide school facility managers, principals, and teachers, on reducing the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality.
Guidance for Health Professionals: Information on Health Risks of Wildfires for Children | Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units
The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units provides healthcare professionals with guidance and information about the health risks in children associated with wildfire smoke exposure, as well as recommendations to reduce exposures.
Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools
This AirNow.gov resource indicates when and how to modify outdoor physical activity based on the Air Quality Index. This at-a-glance guidance can help protect the health of all children, including teenagers, who are more sensitive than adults to air pollution.
Planning Framework for Protecting Commercial Building Occupants from Smoke During Wildfire Events | ASHRAE
This ASHRAE document offers strategies to protect occupants in commercial buildings from the health risks associated with wildfire smoke. The framework provides information on HVAC and building measures to minimize occupant exposures to wildfire smoke, and on developing a Smoke Readiness Plan to prepare for smoke events.
Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Commercial Buildings | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Resources from the Environmental Protection Agency for building owners and managers, school facility managers, public health officials, and emergency managers to reduce smoke concentrations in buildings during wildfires.
Preparing for a Wildfire | Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for early childhood programs about preparing for, and responding to, wildfires and wildfire smoke. Includes links to information about making an emergency plan with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs and the National Requirements and Recommendations for Child Care Emergency Preparedness.
Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This resource from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addresses the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality, potential health risks associated with wildfire smoke exposures, and actions to take before, during, and after wildfire events to minimize the impacts on indoor air quality and health.
Wildfire Smoke and Health
This page includes general information about receiving alerts, monitoring conditions in your area, updates on specific wildfires, tips on reducing exposure to wildfire smoke, and resources from other agencies on safety and preparedness.
Colorado Air Quality
CDPHE provides important information on air quality monitoring, forecasts, and data for Colorado. This website includes state-wide air quality conditions, maps, and reports.
Colorado Smoke Blog
Provides updated information about wildfire and prescribed burn smoke events around Colorado. The blog also includes additional wildfire smoke information and resources.
Indoor Air Quality After a Fire
Health and safety information for residents and businesses who are cleaning up soot and ash inside buildings after a wildfire event.
Wood Smoke and Your Health
Information about health concerns related to indoor burning, prescribed fires, and open burns. Includes more information about finding Colorado wildfires and prescribed fire information.