Ways Southern California Businesses and Homeowners can Reduce the Impact of Wildfire Smoke

It feels like the whole state of California is ablaze. There are several fires scorching land and destroying homes across Southern California. Although most of active incidents are more than 75% contained, smoke-related damage can impact nearby and distant homes and businesses even after a wildfire. Smoke residue can be more harmful than people realize.

“Wildland-urban interface fires emit smoke that can travel long distances, infiltrate the built environment, and sometimes leave behind deposition of persistent combustion byproducts (CBPs),” said Derrick A. Denis, Senior Vice President of Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC), a leading environmental health, safety, and environmental consulting firm headquartered in California that has specialized in fire and smoke residue domestically and internationally for over 25 years. “Many of the combustion byproducts in wildland fire smoke dissipate quickly. But some can endure. More stable particulate components like char, soot, and ash can settle on surfaces and can persist. Businesses and homeowners are not helpless in this matter. Whether they shelter-in-place or vacate and eventually repatriate there are simple efforts we recommend to minimize CBP infiltration.”

There are numerous simple steps people can take to protect their facilities, occupants, and family from the impacts of wildfire smoke.
Here are some simple tips to limit wildfire smoke exposure:

• Minimize Infiltration
  
  1. Close all windows and doors.
  2. Temporarily close the outdoor air intakes for air conditioning systems.
  3. Cease activities that depressurize the building (e.g., minimize use of kitchen exhaust hoods and limit use of clothes dryers).
  
  
• Actively Address Infiltration
  
  1. Upgrade HVAC filters to the most efficient style rated for your units.
  2. Run AC units in recirculate or set to “on” to allow continuous air filtration.
  3. Deploy portable air filtration devices (AFDs), ideally those equipped with HEPA filters, and operate them in continuous recirculation mode.
  4. Clean surfaces regularly to prevent settled particulate from becoming re-entrained into the air.
  
  

Particulates can remain in the air and settle on objects for weeks or months after a fire. Taking steps to mitigate settled smoke impact can help stabilize or lessen degradation of the indoor air quality in a business or home.

Determining the impact of wildfire smoke residues, structural fire damage, fire suppression water damages, fire retardant compound impacts, etc. to a structure often merits professional help. Regulated materials in buildings, such as lead and asbestos, can further convolute wildfire responses and warrant professional guidance, especially during any demolition or renovation activities.

CSC and Fire and Life Safety, Inc., in partnership with the Arizona Health Care Association’s Disaster Ready Emergency Preparedness & Infection Control (DR-EPIC) program, produced a video that includes ways to minimize the impact of wildfire smoke. To view the video, click the following link - https://youtu.be/ZbnZ2YHRY3k.

For more information on smoke damage and other indoor air quality issues, contact Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC) at 800-807-1118, by email at csc@csceng.com, or visit www.csceng.com.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail