Document Type
Report
Abstract
Wildfire season has grown in length and severity in the western United States due to decades of fire suppression and climate change. This trend is projected to continue, worsening air quality and increasing the risk to public health. In response, the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment, in partnership with the University of Washington, hosted the Smoke Ready Spokane Symposium in July 2024 in Spokane, Washington. The event convened community partners across sectors to reflect on past wildfire smoke events and discuss locally-relevant wildfire smoke exposure reduction strategies. Symposium participants engaged in small group discussions using the World Café Method and identified barriers and facilitators to community wildfire smoke resilience in the Spokane region. Findings from the symposium will help to inform a citywide Smoke Readiness Plan, in development through a partnership between the Climate Institute and the City of Spokane’s Emergency Management office, as well as other exposure reduction strategies. As climate change exacerbates hazards such as wildfire smoke, creating and sustaining wildfire smoke-resilient communities has become an urgent global public health priority. Meaningful community engagement is essential to ensure risk reduction strategies are relevant and accessible to community members; the community engagement model described here is an example for other communities looking to build wildfire smoke-resilience.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.33972/ccse.2025.01
Publication Date
6-2025
Keywords
climate, wildfire, community, resilience, smoke exposure reduction strategies
Disciplines
Environmental Sciences | Environmental Studies
Recommended Citation
Reed, A., H. McKinley, D. Jester, B.G. Henning, T. Busch Isaksen, 2025. “Building A Smoke-Resilient Spokane: Guidance from Community Conversations.” Report prepared by the University of Washington Collaborative on Extreme Event Resilience, Seattle, WA. https://doi.org/10.33972/ccse.2025.01
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Executive Summary
Comments
This report was made possible by the Smoke Ready Spokane initiative, a project funded by EPA grant number 84075201. The initiative is led by the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment in collaboration with the following local and state partners: City of Spokane, Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, Spokane Regional Health District, University of Washington Collaborative on Extreme Event Resilience.
Special thanks to Smoke Ready Spokane Symposium participants, organizers, facilitators, and notetakers.