Low-cost, high-performance tools to protect communities when wildfire smoke arrives.
Wildfire smoke is now one of the deadliest disaster-class health threats in the country — and most of its harm lands far downwind, in places that never see a flame. AQE Prep gathers practical, ready-to-use materials any community or state can adapt to protect vulnerable people before the smoke comes.
Get the materials What this isThe 2023 wildfire season showed how far the danger travels. Newer evidence indicates wildfire fine-particle pollution is several times more toxic, per unit, than ordinary air pollution — and smoldering plastic in urban and dumped settings likely adds toxicity no current model counts.
Sources are cited in the Disaster Mortality Ranking brief, available below.
A practical preparedness approach built around pre-positioned, low-cost indoor air cleaning — PC-fan Corsi-Rosenthal boxes that match or beat $500 HEPA purifiers at a fraction of the cost, paired with vulnerability mapping, train-the-trainer builds, and air-quality-triggered distribution through trusted local networks.
Developed in Maine, designed to travel. Every downwind state faces the same exposure with the same gap in preparation.
Aimed at the people least able to buy their own air purifiers — through nonprofits, faith-based groups, and community volunteers.
Materials are offered for any health agency, organization, or community to take, re-brand, and run with.
Grounded in peer-reviewed mortality and toxicity research and EPA-validated filtration.
Free to download, share, and adapt. PDFs are the current shareable versions; editable copies are available on request for partners adapting the work. (Links activate as documents are released.)
Working on air quality emergency preparedness in your state or community, or want to help? We'd like to hear from you.
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