Pigeon Valley and Nelson city fires: Updated public health advice

Stephanie Gray from Nelson Marlborough Health

The greatest risk is to those in the path of the fire, who must follow the directions of emergency service representatives for their immediate safety.

For those closest to the fire, smoke from the fire may irritate the eyes, nose, throat and airways. These symptoms should quickly pass after you remove yourself from the smoke, with no long-term consequences.

Advice for people with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or other lung disease are at greatest risk from smoke inhalation. People with angina or other heart disease might also be at greater risk.

People with these conditions should avoid exposure to smoke if possible. If you have any of these conditions and you are being exposed to smoke you should:

* remain indoors
* close all the windows and doors
* turn off ventilation, air conditioning and heating systems that draw in air from outside until the plume has dispersed or moved away, and you can no longer smell smoke.

Most heat pumps will not bring air in from outside when in cooling mode. Check the user manual for more details. Heat pumps and ventilation systems with a HEPA filter can be left on, as the filter will remove most smoke particles.

If you start to develop symptoms, use the medicines prescribed to you by your doctor.

If your symptoms worsen and do not respond to their usual measures, call your General Practice or Healthline 0800 611 116. If you experience breathlessness or chest pain, call 111.

Advice for everyone

In healthy people, most symptoms will disappear soon after the exposure to smoke has ended, without any long-term consequences.

People should avoid exercising outdoors while smoke is present.

Dust masks available from hardware stores will only screen out the largest smoke particles, so are unlikely to provide much protection.

If you are on a roof water supply and a lot of ash is falling on your roof, it might be best to disconnect the pipe to the tank, and only reconnect it after the next heavy rain (discarding the ‘first flush’), to avoid getting ash in your water supply.

Please follow the instructions of the emergency service representatives, and keep up to date via the Nelson Tasman Civil Defence website and Facebook pages (links below). Turn on a radio and keep it tuned to news of the fire, or keep a news live feed open on your computer.

Please look out for your neighbours, especially the elderly, those in ill-health, and those who live alone.

If you can, get a break away from the smoke by relocating to an area unaffected by the smoke plume.

Stress and anxiety
Anxiety is very common during an emergency event such as an uncontrolled fire. This is a normal response to a very stressful situation. Talking to people and helping others can be both therapeutic and useful.

If you need further support for yourself or for others, call your general practice or Healthline on 0800 611 116.

Anyone who has immediate concerns for their safety should call 111.