when wildfire smoke invades, who should pay to clean indoor air?

Last summer, as smoke from regional wildfires spread to communities in western Montana, public health agencies also faced indoor problems: Residents suddenly needed filters to clean the air in homes and public spaces, but there is no obvious source of funding to pay.
Health officer in charge of the city of misurah, Alan Leahy
In the past, no one really talked about air filters when wildfire smoke contaminated outdoor air.
\"We always tell people to go indoors and think the air might be a little better,\" Leahy said . \".
\"Well, this is not necessarily true.
\"The size and proximity of the fire, coupled with weather trends and local terrain, resulted in a layer of dirty air hanging upside down around the community for weeks.
There is no air filtration system, it also invaded the indoor space.
Wildfire smoke is harmful to everyone, especially the elderly and those with chronic heart and lung disease.
Joey and Don Dunnagan, who live in Lake montsili.
, Check these two boxes.
\"We put towels around the doors and windows --
Everything, \"said Joey. \"It\'s not dirt.
The dirt in the smoke went through the whole house.
\"They\'re all 69 years old and need oxygen a lot of the time.
Joy is a survivor of a stroke.
Tang recently suffered from asbestos disease after working in an aluminum factory for nearly 40 years.
\"I have less than 50% breathing capacity now,\" he said . \"
\"Anything I can do a year ago, I can\'t do it now.
And the smoke above-
It makes me feel bad.
\"But since there is no family in the state and there is limited mobility, the couple have to stay at home all summer.
As a result, Amy simlinburg, who directs a small non-profit organization called Climate Smart misurah, helped Dunnagan people get an efficient air filter and create it in their home
The day I went, she was installing a second filter in their living room.
\"It\'s the same filter, so it works the same way,\" explained Cilimburg . \".
The device is similar to a space heater, but can actually remove fine particulate matter from wood smoke that is so harmful to health.
\"There\'s a pre-filter that takes out the big stuff and then-
\"This is the HEPA filter,\" Cilimburg said, pointing to another part of the device . \".
\"So make sure you have this inside.
\"At the beginning of 2017, the misura County Health Department launched a climate intelligence pilot project to deliver the HEPA air filter to the elderly at home in misura before the fire season arrives.
But last summer, when wild fire smoke flooded Lake Seeley, they also started distributing filters to high-risk residents who had trouble breathing difficulties and other health problems associated with smoke pollution.
Local medical institutions have helped identify these people, including danagan.
Tang said he slept on a recliner near the air filter every night, and the smoke was terrible.
\"I believe the machine saved my life,\" he said . \"\"I really do.
\"Then the wildfire continued until the school year.
Children are also particularly vulnerable to contaminants as their lungs are still developing and sitting in smoke
Classrooms are everywhere in the county.
The health department and Climate Intelligence Company in misurra County are scrambling to install air filters for schools with the most severe haze.
Other non-profit organizations are also involved in activities to raise funds and purchase filters.
Almost overnight, the smoke in the classroom disappeared.
Leahy of the county health department said that the strategy of finding solutions and taking action has changed greatly with the agency\'s usual practice of giving advice to people to squat down and stay indoors.
They need to move on, she said.
\"There must be a more concerted effort --
We are part of it.
Clean indoor air.
The indoor air is filtered.
Bad news about the air-
Not enough, \"said Leahy.
\"We have to plan to be able to do this and deploy these systems as quickly as in an emergency.
\"The challenge is to find out who pays for it.
Portable efficient air filters clean a large room for less than $200 per unit.
Even with a large discount, in the last fire season, only three of the 50 schools in the county cost about $30,000 to install this filter.
That doesn\'t even cover every classroom or grade, says Mr Leahy.
Single filters are also not necessarily the most effective solution for schools and other large buildings --
Like a daycare center, nursing home, or health clinic.
Sarah Coefield, an air quality expert in misurra county, said.
Coefield says it is almost impossible to label prices on the cost of filtering air in every public space in the county.
\"It would be a very high number and I didn\'t even wrap my head around it,\" she said . \".
Misura County has one of the state\'s largest and most experienced air quality programs, but the health sector is not able to launch a response on a large scale, Leahy said.
The Health Department is set up to regulate people who are easy to control.
Sources of air pollution
Such as a factory or firewood stove-
And release health consultation.
The county\'s last-minute funding for the filter came from the emergency fund, which soon dried up.
Health officials, Leahy, said they were all trying to meet that demand.
\"But very-
\"It\'s very creative,\" she said . \"
\"I will say temporary.
\"Scientists predict that wildfire will get worse, so the public health department is starting to think that a more proactive approach is needed.
This will require more creativity, Leahy said.
\"We are not aware of new sources of funding, and it can be said, \'Well, how do we help people at the local level in the same way that we try to get on a wood stove at the local level to get in touch with wildfire smoke?
None of them [funding]
At this time, the way we do this.
\"The national health sector is in a similar situation.
Currently, they do not have resources dedicated to protecting the public from wildfire smoke.
\"I don\'t expect a lot of new funding to come,\" said Jim Murphy, director of the Infectious Diseases Bureau, Department of Public Health and Human Services, Montana.
\"Given the country\'s budget crisis, I think it might be to make the most of the resources we already have.
Cilimburg of climate intelligence said she is proud of the leadership of misurra and the efforts of the community.
But she stressed that the wild season is getting longer and more intense.
The smoke will come back.
\"Providing some money in advance can save you money on the road,\" says sellinburg . \".
\"We are just not very good at thinking about this sometimes.
We are good at dealing with disasters, but we are not prepared to deal with them in advance.
This is the conversation we want to spark.
\"At present, the county health department will continue to cooperate with climate intelligence.
This winter, they are busy building on the basis of summer-
Spreading the use of air filters and the information that clean air is a collective responsibility.
This program has a cache of about 100 filters to help those in need.
They are working with large public institutions like the school district to help them improve their air filtration systems --
And encourage them to add such systems to their budgets.
It is the responsibility of everyone living in the area to acknowledge the risks posed by wildfires and to create their own clean environment, Dunagan saidair space.
\"A lot of people don\'t realize what impact this smoke will have on you,\" Dunagan said . \".
\"You can be tough right now, but if you go long enough, you have breathing problems.
\"The story is part of NPR\'s partnership with Montana Public Radio and Kaiser Health News.