The Great North American Smokeout

For decades, "The Great American Smokeout" referred to a nationwide campaign led by the American Cancer Society encouraging smokers to quit tobacco. Today, however, the phrase has taken on an entirely different meaning. Millions of North Americans are breathing smoke they did not create, cannot escape, and cannot simply treat. They can only monitor conditions, limit their exposure, and wait for relief.

This is The Great North American Smokeout.

As wildfires continue burning across vast portions of Canada, thick smoke has traveled hundreds—and in many cases thousands—of miles into the United States. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow program, cities including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and numerous other communities have experienced unhealthy air quality as smoke drifted across the international border. At various points during these wildfire events, nearly 100 million Americans have lived under smoke-related air quality alerts.

One could call it Canada's natural secondhand smoke—not as a criticism of our northern neighbor, but as a reminder that wildfire smoke respects no international boundary. Like secondhand cigarette smoke, these enormous plumes enter the breathing space of people who neither caused nor contributed to the fires. They simply happen to live wherever the wind carries the smoke.

In many ways, America has experienced two unusual public health reminders during its 250th year. First came what I described as "The Great American Sprint," the nationwide Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated produce. Now comes The Great North American Smokeout, a continental reminder that environmental emergencies, much like infectious diseases, refuse to recognize borders.

While political leaders debate climate policy, tariffs, forestry management, environmental regulations, and international responsibility, ordinary citizens simply want clean air. Smoke cannot be stopped by customs agents, immigration checkpoints, border walls, or political speeches. It moves wherever atmospheric conditions allow.

Scientific research continues to reinforce what millions have already experienced firsthand. According to Nature and numerous public health agencies, wildfire smoke contains microscopic particulate matter known as PM2.5, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream. Public health experts consistently advise limiting exposure whenever possible, particularly for infants, children, pregnant women, senior citizens, outdoor workers, and individuals living with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, or compromised immune systems. Repeated exposure increases the risk of respiratory complications, cardiovascular stress, and other long-term health concerns.

Yet this is not simply a human health story.

Animal Safety, Rescue, and Recovery: Protecting Every Living Creature During Smoke Emergencies

Wildfires, prolonged droughts, extreme heat, and widespread smoke events threaten far more than human health. They also place millions of companion animals, livestock, service animals, wildlife, zoo animals, and endangered species at significant risk. Every emergency preparedness plan at the local, county, state, tribal, and federal levels should recognize that animals are family members, working partners, agricultural resources, and an essential part of healthy ecosystems. When smoke blankets communities or evacuation orders are issued, protecting animals should become a coordinated public safety priority alongside protecting people.

Federal emergency preparedness guidance encourages every household to include pets in family disaster planning long before emergencies occur. Too often, families are forced to evacuate with only minutes to spare, leaving behind beloved animals because they were unprepared. Doing so not only places animals in danger but also increases the risks faced by firefighters, animal control officers, veterinarians, and emergency responders who later attempt rescue operations.

Every family should prepare a Pet Emergency Go Kit containing at least two weeks of food and water, medications, vaccination records, veterinary contact information, identification tags, photographs of the owner with the pet, leashes, carriers, waste bags, bowls, blankets, and proof of ownership. Every pet should wear current identification tags and, whenever possible, be microchipped with updated owner information to improve reunification after disasters.

Planning ahead also means identifying pet-friendly hotels, veterinary hospitals, boarding facilities, relatives, and evacuation shelters before disaster strikes. While many emergency shelters welcome service animals, not all are equipped to accommodate household pets, making advance planning essential.

Smoke inhalation affects animals much like it affects people. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and livestock can suffer coughing, difficulty breathing, eye irritation, dehydration, fatigue, and worsening heart or lung disease from prolonged exposure. Veterinarians recommend limiting outdoor activity during poor air quality days, keeping animals indoors whenever practical, maintaining access to clean water, reducing strenuous exercise, and seeking immediate veterinary care whenever respiratory distress or unusual lethargy develops.

Livestock producers face additional challenges. Smoke contamination may affect grazing lands, water supplies, and feed quality. Farmers and ranchers should work closely with veterinarians, county extension offices, state agriculture departments, and emergency management agencies to ensure proper animal nutrition, shelter, transportation, and medical care throughout prolonged smoke events and drought emergencies.

Wildlife deserves equal compassion. Fires destroy habitat, contaminate streams, separate young animals from their mothers, reduce food availability, and force countless species into unfamiliar territory. Citizens should never attempt to rescue injured wildlife without proper training. Instead, they should immediately notify licensed wildlife rehabilitators, state wildlife agencies, animal control officers, or emergency management officials trained to coordinate safe rescue and recovery efforts.

Smoke emergencies should also strengthen cooperation among humane societies, veterinary hospitals, wildlife rehabilitation centers, emergency animal shelters, nonprofit rescue organizations, agricultural agencies, and emergency managers. Public alerts issued through the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), National Weather Service advisories, AirNow notifications, and local emergency management offices should routinely include reminders regarding pet evacuation, livestock safety, and animal sheltering whenever conditions warrant.

Our compassion must never stop at humanity's front door.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edmond W. Davis is a social historian, media strategist, professor, and documentary host. Davis is the founder of the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest. This native of Philadelphia, PA, his wife, and his son currently live in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area. Davis is committed to cultural empowerment and educational equity through storytelling and civic engagement. In 2026, Davis was a grand marshal at the 38th Annual African American History Month Celebration Parade, the largest in the U.S. during Black History Month.

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