Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality

Preparing for smoky skies​

You can prepare yourself, your family, and your home for wildfire smoke events before they happen.​ The BC Centre for Disease Control has ​​a handy factsheet that provides the information you need to:

• Have a plan in place for your health when air quality deteriorates.
• Reduce your exposure to wildfire smoke in your home (for example, by using a portable air cleaner).
• Reduce your smoke ex​posure if you have to be outside.

You will also find some useful addition​al information and links specifically for the Lower Mainland below.

Protecting your family’s health: Where to find information​ ​

Wildfire smoke can be harmful to your health, particularly if you have existing respiratory illness or other chronic medical conditions. Unborn children, infants, young children, and the elderly are also more vulnerable.​ You can find out more about who is most at risk on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s Health Effects ​factsheet.

If you are experienc​ing symptoms and your community is blanketed by wildfire smoke, please seek the advice of your health care provider.

Detecting smoke in the air​

If wildfire smoke is transported into your community, you may notice a haze in the air. You may also notice that it is harder to see landmarks that would normally be visible on a clear day. Depending on how much smoke is in the are​a and where the smoke is located, you may also smell smoke. Transported wildfire smoke can sometimes be trapped in upper layers of the air, causing visual impacts despite air quality measurements on the ground remaining good. Online information can help you get a clearer picture about conditions:

• Smoke forecast maps including FireSmoke​ and FireWork
• Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) measurements reported on airmap.ca and bcairquality.ca. PM_2.5 is the main constituent of wildfire smoke, and is the primary driver of smoke health impacts.
• The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reported on airmap.ca, bcairquality.ca and weather forecast web sites
• Visual air quality ratings on clearairbc.ca
  
• Highway webcam images
• Wildfire activity information from the BC Wildfire Service

Information provided during smoky conditions​

Metro Vancouver:

• Metro Vancouver issues an air quality warning when air quality over large areas of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District temporarily deteriorates, or is expected to deteriorate soon.
• Air quality warnings describe the issue (e.g. wildfire smoke), the impacts it may have, and what everyone can do to protect their health and improve air quality.
• You can stay informed about air quality warnings through Metro Vancouve​r’s air quality status web page or the Fraser Valley Regional District’s air quality and climate web page.

British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Parks:

• An air quality warning issued by BC Ministry of Environment and Parks is for an identified zone or zones. It provides information about areas potentially impacted due to the highly variable nature of wildfire smoke. The warning zones are based on Environment and Climate Change Canada weather forecast zones.
• BC Ministry of Environment and Parks uses the Howe Sound weather forecast zone, which includes a portion of northwestern Metro Vancouver, and the Fraser Canyon weather forecast zone, which includes part of the Fraser Valley Regional District. If an air quality warning is issued for either of these zones before conditions to issue a Metro Vancouver/Fraser Valley Regional District air quality warning have been met, it should not be interpreted as conflicting information; it just reflects how air quality warnings are issued in overlapping jurisdictions.

Environment and Climate Change Canada:

• When an air quality warning is in effect, Environment and Climate Change Canada will post the notice on their website.
• ​Information about the air quality warning will be published on the Environment and Climate Change Canada weather page using a link in the banner on the page.

Staying up to date on fire activity, smoke, and air quality​

Bookmark ​​web pages containing relevant information. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Metro Vancou​ver

• Follow Metro Vancouver on X, Blue Sky or Facebook.
• Subscribe to the Metro Vancouver air quality warnings and bulletins email list.
• Use airmap.ca.
• Visit Metro Vancouver's air quality status web page.
  

Fraser Valley Regional District​​ (FVRD)

• Check out Fraser Valley Regional District's air quality and climate web page​.
  
• Follow the FVRD on Facebook or X.

BC Ministry of Environment and Parks (BC ENV)

• Bookmark the BC ENV air quality advisories web page. It is updated at least once every 24 hours when fires are actively burning.
• Bookmark the BC ENV web page for current Air Quality Health Index readings and health-specific messaging for smoky conditions.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

• Bookmark the BC FireWork smoke forecast from ECCC, which shows predicted ground-level PM2.5 concentrations over the next 72​ hours.
• Bookmark the current Air Quality Health Index page to get health-specific messaging for smoky conditions.

BC Wildfire Ser​​vice

• ​​Book​mark the BC Wildfire Service map of active fires to keep track of the provincial wildfire situation.​