Fungus, Fire, and Fixes- an ER doc on Emergency Management & Infectious Risk in Wildfires

Natural disasters such as wildfires can provoke a great deal of anxiety about immediate and long term risk, so I wanted to have someone on whose job it is to think only of the worst case scenarios and how we can navigate them. Nobody better for the job than an ER doctor!

For this episode, I talk to Mary C. Meyer, MD MPH, an emergency medicine physician with The Permanente Medical Group and an expert in climate medicine who has served as director of disaster preparedness for Kaiser in Northern California as well as in global health disaster deployments, including Haiti, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Jamaica, and St. Lucia.

We talk disaster management and unexpected risks from wildfires, including a potential fungus among us.

To Do-

• Harden your home- learn how to keep your home safe(r) from wildfires

• Learn about controlled burns and more wildfire safety from the “Fighting Fire with Fire” episode with Native American Wildland Firefighter Bodie Shaw. 

• Learn more about health impacts of wildfires and what you can do in the “Our Health in Wildfire Season” episode 

• Sign up for emergency alerts in your community

• Find out if where you work has a Disaster Plan or has done a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment

• Have Go Bags ready during times of high wildfire risk or in general

• Make plans with your family and loved ones for emergencies, including meeting points, shelter areas, evacuation routes and more

• Do something small once per week to tackle climate change and help decrease the impact of climate-fueled disasters. None of us have to do everything, but we can all do something. Listen to the “Clean AIr and Climate Action for Busy People” episode to get started

Episode Photo by Malachi Brooks on Unsplash