Grantee Research Project Results
Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Stakeholder-Driven Wildfire Smoke Monitoring and Messaging in Rural Nevada
EPA Grant Number: R840236Title: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Stakeholder-Driven Wildfire Smoke Monitoring and Messaging in Rural Nevada
Investigators: VanderMolen, Kristin , Dragoni, Danilo
Institution: Desert Research Institute , Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: September 1, 2021 through May 13, 2025
Project Amount: $544,763
RFA: Interventions and Communication Strategies to Reduce Health Risks of Wildland Fire Smoke Exposures (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Early Career Awards , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Watersheds , Wildfires
Objective:
The goal of this project is to increase wildfire smoke risk mitigation in rural communities through the development, implementation, and evaluation of stakeholder-driven monitoring and messaging in Northern Nevada. Hypotheses include: (H1) Real-time wildfire smoke monitoring will enable reliable risk communication and warrants the installation of sensorsin rural communities; (H2) Closing knowledge gaps between wildfire smoke specialists and non-specialists will increase the effectiveness of risk communication; (H3) The transferability of rural wildfire smoke monitoring and educational resources will amplify the potential for risk communication across communities.
Approach:
Hypotheses will be tested through the following tasks: (1) evaluate the performance of selected portable air quality sensors in the DRI combustion facility and in three rural NV counties; (2) identify wildfire smoke risk knowledge gaps of emergency managers and publics in those counties; (3) develop education materials for emergency managers to use to close the identified gaps (i.e., through messaging); (4) evaluate the effectiveness of in situ monitoring and messaging to mitigate wildfire smoke risk.
Expected Results:
Primary outcomes of this project are (1) a healthier, safer rural Nevada that is adequately equipped with regionally (Intermountain West) transferable monitoring and messaging resources needed for the successful mitigation of wildfire smoke risk, and (2) advancement of the EPA Strategic Plan goal to connect state research needs with EPA priorities, specifically, the development and assessment of the effectiveness of health risk communication strategies in supporting actions to reduce wildland fire smoke exposure among at-risk and harder-to-reach populations. Substantial improvement in risk assessment and management will result from the project as currently wildfire smoke monitoring and messaging are mostly absent in rural regions of Nevada and the Intermountain West.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectRelevant Websites:
Rural Air Quality Monitoring, Mental Models of Wildfire Smoke Risk, Science Education and Communication, Coproduced Science
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.