How can Washington and other states prepare for a disaster like the Los Angeles wildfires? Experts from California and the University of Washington convened with community members at an interactive panel discussion recently to talk strategy.
In January 2025, wildfires in the LA area resulted in extraordinary destruction and devastating loss of property and life. The Palisades and Eaton fires caused the most material damage by an extreme weather event in U.S. history, with property damages estimated to top $35 billion. Only one week after the fires began, over 150,000 people were under evacuation notice.
As the planet’s climate continues to change, events like wildfires will continue to increase in frequency and intensity. Populations around the world should be prepared for wildfires as projections show these events will increase globally.
Wildfires are a human health hazard
Wildfires pose a significant threat to human health. Wildfires can cause burns from direct contact with flames or hot surfaces, trauma from explosions, injuries from falling or being struck by debris and more. Additionally, wildfire smoke can damage respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
As cars, electronics, appliances and household chemicals burn, they release toxic metals that pollute the air. Particulate matter, which is so tiny it can stay in the environment for extremely long periods of time and travel deep into human respiratory systems, is also generated by wildfires. Breathing in pollutants like heavy metals and particulate matter can lead to respiratory issues like asthma and lung cancer as well as cardiovascular issues like heart disease and stroke.
Wildfires also take a significant toll on mental health. Picture the place you call home. Picture your favorite belongings, including even mundane items that hold meaning to you like a chipped coffee mug, an old family photo album or a worn book you’ve read countless times. Picture the outdoor spaces you’ve spent earnest time in like a tree you climbed as a child, a park you’ve taken a young one to or a hike you’ve conquered. Now imagine all of those things being destroyed and suddenly swept away from a wildfire. This intense loss combined with the threat to personal and loved ones’ safety presents significant distress to survivors that can last for years. Studies show that following wildfires, communities show increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and generalized anxiety.
The need for preparedness
In the aftermath of these devastating fires, disaster preparedness experts, policymakers and community members are asking how we can better prepare for future wildfires. In light of this, CHanGE and the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities (CDRC) hosted an interactive panel discussion “What Washington can learn from California’s wildfires.” This event began with a panel featuring researchers from California and Washington who are working in disaster preparedness and community resilience.
Panelists:
- David Eisenman, MD, MSHS: professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and School of Public Health where he directs the Center for Public Health and Disasters and co-directs the Center for Healthy Climate Solutions.
- Rima Habre, ScD: professor of Environmental Health and Spatial Sciences at USC where she directs the CLIMAte-Related Exposures, Adaptation and Health Equity (CLIMA) center.
- Francisca Santana, PhD, MS: professor at the UW studying the social and psychological underpinnings of climate adaptation behavior.
- Nicole Errett, PhD, MSPH: professor at the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, director of CDRC, and member of the CHanGE leadership team.
Lessons from California
Researchers from California emphasized the importance of collaboration and strong data infrastructure, saying data is key in driving resilience and preparedness efforts. The researchers highlighted several challenges and opportunities around wildfire data collection that would be relevant for any health department, not just LA.
- Wildfires generate a lot of “perishable data:” data samples, such as ash, that may be lost or altered if not collected quickly. It is critical to have strong data infrastructure already in place to employ during wildfires. This allows researchers to collect samples before they perish and analyze them later.
- It is important to measure toxin exposure before a wildfire occurs, in addition to following the event. This allows researchers to better understand how exposure to toxins changed from a wildfire. Regularly collecting and assessing data also has the potential to improve our understanding around lasting pollution from burnt toxins.
- During a disaster it is also critical to share data transparently with the public and distinguish reliable science from mis- and disinformation. The Watch Duty app, which provides real-time wildfire information and alerts to the public, was extremely helpful in LA.
Infrastructural barriers were another pain point during the California wildfires. For example, LA has lots of one-way winding roads, which makes evacuation difficult, especially for elderly and disabled individuals. Habre explained the importance of rapid surveillance systems to identify when a disaster is going to occur and outline a coordinated plan to mobilize the public to act efficiently. She said, “There are many well intentioned groups who are trying to help, but when a disaster actually happens, it ends up being a chaotic game of ‘who is doing what?’ and ‘how do we work together efficiently?’”
Finally, researchers expressed the need for local/state funding and private donations to fuel resilience efforts. Dr. Eisenman described the LA Fire Health Consortium, a multi-institutional collaboration funded through local philanthropy structured around environmental exposures, health outcomes and communications. Experts there are working to determine the exposures as well as short- and long-term health impacts of the LA fires, an effort made possible by local philanthropy and collaboration across institutions.
Takeaways for Washington
Fires in wildland urban interfaces — where human development meets vegetation, like Seattle and LA — are different from forest fires we’ve seen in the past. With fires in and around urban areas, populations are exposed to hazards such as ash and toxins from electric vehicles, lithium batteries and more. Errett urged, “We can’t keep thinking that fires are going to be like they were in the past. We can have events that impact large populations and we need to think about how we can prepare for that.”
The most important thing we can do, according to Habre, is to have protocols in place that outline when and how to hit the fields quickly to help the public and collect data samples that can be stored and analyzed later. She emphasized, “The key part to all of this is working collaboratively with trusted networks.”
Santana discussed the important role that community members play in disaster preparedness. Social norms and community perceptions are major factors that can drive, but also prevent, action. Outrageous claims on social media and low disaster literacy may cause confusion during wildfire events or hinder productive conversations.
We need to develop strategies to communicate effectively to the public before, during and after disasters. Engaging communities in the planning process is key to developing solutions that address their needs. However, as Errett pointed out, it is challenging to get people to the table to imagine horrible situations like wildfires. We must figure out how to motivate community members to work with institutions on developing preparedness efforts.
As Habre articulated, “We talk about all the things we need to do but when the time hits we are still scrambling. Part of that is how we function as institutions and funding barriers. But part of it is just falling into a circle." By implementing these lessons and fostering a culture of proactive preparedness, we can break that cycle and build more resilient communities in the face of escalating wildfire threats.