As of this writing in September 2020, wildfires are raging across California, Oregon, and Washington. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and seven left dead. They've burned through a record 2.5 million acres, much worse than last year's terrible season.
With this danger looming, we thought it would be good to present the best ways to avoid inhaling smoke in case a fire threatens your area. GoSun also offers many solutions to cooking and energy generation that avoid these dirty fuel sources. We recommend the GoSun Fusion (buy here) and will explain why it's a solution to smoke inhalation further down.
Best Way To Avoid Inhaling Smoke in Fire-Ravaged Areas
Because poor air quality can have detrimental effects on health, smoke and ash from wildfires are severe hazards. We recommend these following health responses, per the CDC:
• Consult local visibility guides. Some communities have monitors that measure the amount of particles in the air. In the western United States, some states and communities have guidelines to help people determine if there are high levels of particulates in the air by how far they can see.
• Keep indoor air as clean as possible if you are advised to stay indoors. Keep windows and doors closed. Run an air conditioner, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside. If you do not have an air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with the windows closed, go to a designated shelter away from the affected area. Learn more about protecting yourself and your family from smoke during a wildfire.
• Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution. Burning candles, fireplaces, or gas stoves can increase indoor pollution. Vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home, contributing to indoor pollution. Smoking also puts even more pollution into the air.
• Prevent wildfires from starting. Prepare, build, maintain, and extinguish campfires safely. Follow local regulations if you burn trash or debris. Check with your local fire department to be sure the weather is safe enough for burning.
• Do not rely on dust masks for protection. Paper “comfort” or “dust” masks commonly found at hardware stores are designed to trap large particles, such as sawdust. These masks will not protect your lungs from the small particles found in wildfire smoke.
• Evacuate from the path of wildfires. Listen to the news to learn about current evacuation orders. Follow the instructions of local officials about when and where to evacuate. Take only essential items with you. Follow designated evacuation routes–others may be blocked–and plan for heavy traffic.
• Protect yourself cleaning up after a fire. Cleanup work can expose you to ash and other products of the fire that may irritate your eyes, nose, or skin and cause coughing and other health effects. Learn how to stay safe cleaning up after a wildfire.
The Solution To Smoke Inhalation
At GoSun, we have long worked to eliminate toxic fuel sources that harm people through smoke inhalation damage. It's a big problem -- over one billion people do not have access to electricity and over three billion still cook on stoves that run on dirty fuels like wood, charcoal and petrochemical fires. Because of this, smoke inhalation related illness ranks with malaria and AIDs as one of the worst problems facing the world. The WHO believes that four million premature deaths occur every year due to respiratory diseases directly related to smoke inhalation.
For this reason, GoSun has shipped products to over 70 countries and donated over 1,000 units for the advancement of solar education. Plus, GoSun has provided over 2,500 units at a substantial discount to NGOs domestically and internationally.
We have also spent thousands of hours in research and development to advance low-cost, widespread solar cooking and other solar solutions for developing countries. GoSun will continue to meet real market demands with low-cost, durable, and high-performance solar products.
Our flagship product is the Fusion, and we believe it works best to eliminate the danger of smoke inhalation damage due to its versatility and ease of use.
The Fusion is the world's first solar oven that can also cook without Sun. A hybrid solar + electric oven runs on sunshine or 12Volt from your car, boat, RV or PowerBank. It reaches temperatures up to 550 ˚F and can bake, steam, cook, anything day or night.
Click here to order the Fusion.