The agreement provides funding to enhance community wildfire smoke preparedness

Specifically, colorado's department of public health and environment's indoor air quality team will design and implement a state-wide program to provide outreach, education, and training for local community partners on how to prepare for, and respond to, the public health threat of wildfire smoke. We will leverage our existing 'clean air for schools'' program, which is providing portable hepa air cleaners and indoor air quality monitors to k-12 schools throughout the state, and focus on engaging local communities to understand how they can 1) use the school-based monitoring network to understand - and respond to - indoor air quality impacts of wildfire smoke in their community, and 2) operate their schools as cleaner air shelters. Key expected outputs and outcomes include: facilitating local community partners in developing smoke readiness plans; providing technical training on ventilation/filtration strategies for wildfire smoke mitigation in schools and other community buildings, including preparing school buildings to serve as community cleaner air shelters; and enabling indoor air quality monitoring in public school buildings, to understand wildfire smoke impacts and evaluate effective responses. Activities:the activities include . . . Part a: wildfire smoke impact preparedness training, outreach, and education for communities we will develop outreach, education, and training materials that build upon EPA's existing educational materials focused on wildfire preparedness, cleaner air shelters, indoor air quality, and indoor air quality monitoring. Education materials and training guides will be specifically targeted toward local colorado community stakeholders (e.g., local public health agencies, local fire response/emergency response teams, school district administrators) to educate community members on the impacts of wildfires on indoor air quality, recognize and respond to the signs and impacts of smoke exposure on community, and how to establish and operate public cleaner air shelters for communities part b: part b: clean air for schools: sentinel air monitoring sites and community cleaner air shelters through colorado's clean air for schools program, cdphe's IAQ team is currently deploying indoor air quality monitors and high-efficiency particulate air (hepa) filter portable air cleaners (pacs) to k-12 schools throughout the state. As of may 1, over 500 k-12 schools will collectively be receiving over 30,000 pacs, and more than 200 schools are scheduled to receive indoor air quality monitor systems subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: 1. Outreach, education, and training materials that build upon EPA's existing educational materials 2. Development of a stakeholder education and training network 3. Indoor air quality monitors 4. High-efficiency particulate air (hepa) filter portable air cleaners the expected outcomes include . . . 1. Collaboration of community members to design a smoke readiness plan 2. Increase in awareness, capacity, and action to reduce indoor exposures to wildfire smoke within highly impacted communities, particularly in school settings 3. Increase in availability of indoor air quality monitoring data to inform wildfire smoke management activities. The intended beneficiaries include the entire state of colorado, which is divided into three distinct geographic areas. 1. The western slope is the mostly rural mountain region of the state. 2. The central front range region is where 70% of the state's 5.8 million residents live. 3. The eastern plains (part of the national great plains) is predominantly made up of rural farmland, rangeland, and small farming towns. Each region is impacted by wildfire smoke in unique ways and each has its own HEA