California has been among the hardest hit by wildfires, with over half of the state’s top 20 largest wildfires occurring in just the last decade. In Central California, the vast valleys of isolated grass pose a wildfire threat to several communities in that area. Wildfires are not just devastating to the environment, but it also poses critical public health dangers, as communities are exposed to harmful pollutants like PM2.5 or fine inhalable particles. Research shows that exposure to PM2.5 is associated with premature mortality, increased hospital admissions for heart or lung causes, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, respiratory symptoms, and restricted activity days.
To help build community awareness and education, Suellen Hopfer, PhD, assistant professor of health, society, & behavior at the UCI Program in Public Health is collaborating with the Communities for a New California Education Fund (CNC EF) in the San Joaquin Valley to foster community resilience, prevent wildfires, and protect their health.
By bringing community leaders into our approach, we are building community sustainability and resilience well beyond this project.”
Suellen Hopfer, PhD
Hopfer and team will embark on a community participatory action approach by identifying key community leaders to lead the webinar series and share evidence-based data on place-based impacts by wildfire. The format of the webinar series will be interactive for community members to share their experiences with wildfire and smoke while identifying solutions through community capacity building. Additionally, the hope of partnering with community leaders is to establish a more rapid mobilization network to warn and protect the lives of those impacted by wildfires. With a bi-directional approach, researchers will also document the voices, questions and concerns from the community members during the webinar series to help inform future research questions.
“By bringing community leaders into our approach, we are building community sustainability and resilience well beyond this project,” says Hopfer. “Until we collectively work together to stop the bigger picture of climate change impacting the frequency and severity of California’s wildfires, we need to empower our communities with the knowledge and skills to prevent and protect against wildfires.”
