Alaska Fire Science Consortium

From Smoke Alerts to Action: Making Wildfire Smoke-Health Communication More Actionable

December 15, 2026 | 2pm PT/5pm ET

This presentation will introduce our ongoing research examining how residents and professionals in Fairbanks North Star Borough understand, trust, and use wildfire smoke information to make protective decisions. I will discuss findings from interviews with residents and practitioners and our approach to testing wildfire smoke-health messages designed to help people overcome barriers to protective action. The presentation will highlight opportunities to make wildfire smoke communication more actionable for Alaska communities.

Dr. Patrick O. Ansah is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ International Arctic Research Center. His research focuses on making climate and environmental hazard information more actionable for decision-makers and communities, with current projects examining wildfire smoke-health communication and future avalanche hazard information in Alaska. He holds a PhD in Communication and specializes in science, environmental, climate, and risk communication.