Exposure to wildfire smoke can have significant, negative impacts on people with asthma. Below are some resources to help asthma stakeholders support their clients and patients with asthma during wildfire season.

 RAMP’s resources on wildfire smoke and asthma

• Air Cleaners for Asthma Programs provides guidance for asthma programs to select safe, affordable, and effective air cleaners/purifiers for clients with asthma. Developed by RAMP and published in June 2022.
• Helping Clients with Asthma Prepare for Wildfire Smoke Events: Tips for Asthma Educators provides guidance, tips and resources for those who provide education to people with asthma. Developed by RAMP and published in June 2021.
• Protecting Kids from Wildfire Smoke — Actions for California Schools was developed by Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, in partnership with many organizations including RAMP, and published in November 2021.
• Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Children. RAMP hosted a webinar in August 2020, with a presentation by Stephanie Holm, MD, MPH, Co-Director of the Western Stated Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units.

Additional resources on wildfire smoke and asthma

• Children’s Health and Wildfire Smoke Exposure: Workshop Recommendations is a collection of evidence-based information to provide guidance to public health officials in decision-making and developing educational materials concerning children’s health and wildfire smoke. The chapters were drafted by multi-stakeholder workgroups spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in close collaboration with tribal, federal, state, and local officials, health care professionals, and other nongovernmental organizations, academics, industry, and Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) representatives. Published in January 2022.
• The Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units put together a number of resources on its website, including information in both English and Spanish.
• The EPA’s publication, “Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials,” was updated in 2019.
• The EPA has a training module called “Wildfire Smoke and Your Patients’ Health.” This course is intended for physicians, registered nurses, asthma educators and others involved in clinical or health education.
• In the fall of 2019, University of California Berkeley published, “Health, Wildfires & Climate Change in California: Recommendations for Action.”
• The American Lung Association has a number of resources available including a “Protect Your Health During Wildfires” factsheet in both English and Spanish.