The panic of deciding when and how to leave in a wildfire
“You need to turn your truck around and get the F out of here right now.” When Cody Townend looks back on 2023’s evacuation, he remembers how getting out made him fear for his life. Cody was born and raised in Hay River. A small-town guy, Cody spent his childhood biking around town with friends, […]
How to Stop Wildfire Smoke Damaging Your Health
THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. When wildfires rage, the immediate threat is obvious—but smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames. As fires become more frequent, that smoke is leading to a public health crisis. In a new study published in the journal Science […]
Texas wildfires: how to help and how to stay safe
Smoke from wildfires alone can pose a serious health threat, especially for kids, older adults and those with chronic heart or lung disease and asthma. Exposure to wildfire smoke can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes. It can cause eye and respiratory irritation, coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. Wildfires can also create a risk […]
Up close: Mountain communities re-learn how to live with wildfires
Beginning in the late 19th century, all-out fire suppression became the official policy of land management offices in Colorado and other Western states. Although many Indigenous communities were well acquainted with the role fire played in natural land cycles and ecosystem management, their expertise was cast aside in favor of the new government’s suppression goals. […]
How to function at work during times of grief and turmoil
Staying well-informed on politics, news, and world events, especially these days, can take a toll on your mental health. “Trauma is the air that we have been breathing in the 2020s,” says Katharine Manning, an expert with more than 25 years of experience of handling distress in the workplace. From the Covid-19 pandemic to the […]