Dear employee,

Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer, King County Executive Office

Summer has finally arrived and with it comes the risk that we will once again experience unhealthy levels of air quality due to wildfire smoke.

Washington state has declared a state of drought and there have already been a record number of small wildfires across western Washington this year. As a result of climate change, we should be prepared for more frequent and larger wildfires during Pacific Northwest summers.

Before the smoke arrives, take steps to protect your health from smoke at home and work. When air quality is at unhealthy levels, the most important protective steps are to avoid smoky air by staying indoors as much as possible and avoid intense outdoor activities. Wildfire smoke may cause headaches and irritation of your eyes, nose and throat for everyone and serious health problems for high-risk groups. People who are most sensitive to wildfire smoke are pregnant women, children, people over the age of 65, and those with heart or respiratory conditions such as heart disease, asthma, COPD, diabetes, and stroke survivors.

AT WORK

King County will remain open for business during smoky days. Our communities depend on our services, so keeping King County services operational is critically important. At the same time, we should plan for ways to minimize our exposure to smoke. This is of most concern for employees who are in groups that are most sensitive to smoke, such as those with heart or respiratory conditions.

Talk to your supervisor and staff about measures to protect health on days when the air quality is unhealthy for everyone. This will depend on how much exposure you have to smoky air and whether you are in a group at higher-risk for health problems. Keep in mind that for some people, the air quality and air conditioning at work may be better than in the home.

• If your position normally requires field work or to be outdoors for extended periods, consider adjusting your work schedule, location, or regularly assigned duties during unhealthy air quality days if these are options for your job. You may be able to take a day of accrued vacation or comp time instead of reporting to your normal work location. Check with your supervisor for more information and learn more at this website. When an agency remains open, but conditions prevent you from reporting to work on time, notify your supervisor as soon as possible. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
• If you must work outdoors, consider reducing outdoor work to a minimum and take frequent breaks in air conditioned locations (e.g., library, community center, grocery store), and reduce drive times, if possible.
• Drink plenty of water on hot, smoky days. Keeping hydrated protects from heat and may reduce some symptoms of wildfire smoke exposure.
• If you must work outdoors, talk to your supervisor about whether an N95 respirator mask is appropriate for you. Wearing a face mask is not always helpful, and in some cases, can make certain health conditions worse. Only N95 or N100 type respirators can help, and then only when fitted properly. They do not work for everyone. If you have a medical condition and are concerned about wearing a mask, check with your healthcare provider. More information is available from Washington State Labor and Industries about wildfire smoke and dust masks at work.

AT HOME

• Consider getting an air purifier. Air purifiers with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter will reduce the number of irritating fine particles in indoor air. More information from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and  EPA’s Indoor Air Filtration Factsheet (PDF).
• If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, make sure you have an inhaler or other medications that you might need. Make an asthma management plan with your healthcare provider.

• Make plans for indoor activities for kids on smoky days. Consider what your children can do if they need to stay indoors when smoke levels are “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Ask your childcare provider, school or camp what they will do to keep indoors on smoky days.
• Follow Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to get the air quality forecast. You can find them on Twitter @pscleanair or on the web at pscleanair.org. For detailed forecast information from the EPA, go to airnow.gov

For more information about wildfire smoke and your health: www.kingcounty.gov/wildfiresmoke.

Sincerely,

Whitney Abrams,
Chief People Officer