Preparing for wildfires is important, but so is understanding toxins in the smoke

In October 2017, over 12 fires erupted across eight counties. The Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa burned 36,810 acres and 5,643 structures. The fire also killed 22 people and cost the economy $1.2 billion.

While the fire raged, Jacquelyn England’s phone was ringing off the hook. As office manager for our Santa Rosa office, she coordinated support for affected colleagues.

“We are embedded in the local community through our services, and many of our clients worked for local government agencies that were responding or affected by the wildfire like our employees,” said Jacquelyn. The crisis dragged on for weeks until the fire was contained.

With Jacquelyn’s background in contamination assessment and remediation, she knew she could help her community prepare for the health effects of future fires.

When a community experiences flooding, the first priority is protecting people and property. Considering the health effects of contaminated flood waters comes second. Wildfires are the same. We might not realize the damaging effects of what we’re breathing during fires or what might be contaminated later by run-off or infiltration.

In March 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shared a study that showed some household materials burned in wildfires can be more toxic than others. Smoke from the flaming combustion of plastic is particularly damaging to human health, causing inflammation and lung injury. Burning plastic generates 20 times higher particulate matter than other materials.

The EPA identified a challenge. We need to identify the most toxic materials and combustion conditions during wildfires to protect human health.

But it’s not just air quality we need to worry about. Toxic burning materials can also run off into drinking water. Heavy rain after a wildfire can contaminate watersheds and get into municipal drinking water, researchers have found.

Intense, frequent wildfires caused by climate change cost the United States $13 billion in 2020. Governments and businesses must rethink their approach to wildfires. How can the private sector complement federal, state and local government resources to prepare for these events?

“Most organizations focus on how to react when a wildfire happens in the urban wildlife boundary. They need a good emergency response to evacuate people and keep people safe,” said Jacquelyn England. “But we all need to pay attention to the long-term effects after the wildfire. Which types of contaminants get spread and where? How do we measure unknown effects?”

Our new wildfire risk management solution, Burntfields®, helps do just that. We believe the key to building resilient communities in the face of wildfire threats goes far beyond effective emergency response. Through prevention & mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, we can help you minimize the impact of wildfires on your communities, businesses and the environment.

“If you don't have a sampling plan set up in advance to check what has happened after a wildfire, you’ll be reactive instead of proactive,” says Dr. Hyland Herring, a toxicologist. “From a toxicology standpoint, we can help you pinpoint what you should be concerned about.”

We help our clients proactively prepare for wildfires and other natural disasters. Here is what we advise to help you prepare and consider risks to human health:

• Robust interdisciplinary, technical services equip you with everything you need: We offer prevention & mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery services independently and together under Burntfields®. Our strong technical services overlay helps us share knowledge easily and review regulations as they are released. We make sure you are aware of all complications to your emergency plans and can plan accordingly.
• A global approach to learning what works best throughout the world: We offer each one of these services in a globally connected network. We take what we learned in the Australian wildfires to the North American wildfires.
• Strong regulatory relationships help with risk and toxicological assessments: We help you uncover risks and regulations you might not have considered. We help you figure out what you need to worry about. We filter out the noise so you can concentrate your efforts.
• Extensive experience in emergency response. We have helped clients respond to wildfires, train derailments, chemical spills and other disasters by creating monitoring plans and environmental sampling plans. After the fire is extinguished, we help determine when people can safely return to their homes.

“In Paradise, California, we helped the schools deal with benzene in their water supply after the 2019 fire,” said Hyland Herring, who has a strong background in emergency response.

Our Burntfields® cross-disciplinary team can also help you concentrate on what you need to do if the worst happens, and make sure you have a comprehensive plan for that.

Learn more about our Burntfields® service and how we can help you.