Smoke from wildfires and structure fires can affect health: eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. See details below and learn more at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management's SF72 website.
Self-Care
Here are some things people can do to help protect themselves:
If you can see, taste, or feel smoke, you should immediately minimize outdoor activities. This is especially important if you have health concerns (for example, people with heart disease or respiratory disease like asthma), are elderly, pregnant, or have a child in your care.
Contact your health care provider if you experience the following symptoms:
- Repeated coughing
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness or pain
- Palpitations
- Nausea or unusual fatigue
- Lightheadedness
As always, if you or someone you know is experiencing a live-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.
Follow these precautions to protect your health:
- Minimize outdoor activities
- Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible
- Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside
- Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors
- Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you experience symptoms related to smoke exposure