This week, many camps across the eastern and central U.S. are facing two hazards at once: storms and lingering wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada. However, neither hazard has to derail your program if you build a few simple habits into your daily routine. Here’s what to watch for and what to do.
1. Thunderstorms and Lightning
Lightning is the more immediate, acute danger of the two. It can strike with little warning, even from a storm that looks far away.
The core rule: “When thunder roars, go indoors.” If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. So don’t wait to see lightning itself; treat sound as your trigger to act.
What to do:
- Move everyone into a substantial building or hard-topped vehicle immediately. Avoid picnic shelters, tents, and open-sided pavilions, since these structures do not protect against lightning.
- Get everyone out of the water immediately. Stop pool time, lake activities, and waterfront programming as soon as you hear the first rumble of thunder.
- Stay inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap. The National Weather Service uses this window as its standard safety threshold. In fact, restarting outdoor activity too soon causes many lightning injuries.
- Designate a “storm captain” each day. This person’s only job is watching the sky and radar, so activity leaders can stay focused on supervising campers instead of tracking conditions themselves.
- Build a headcount and communication plan. This way, staff can move campers indoors quickly, whether kids are at the waterfront, on trails, or in far-flung activity areas.
- Also avoid tall isolated trees, open fields, metal fences, and equipment during a storm.
If lightning strikes someone: call 911 immediately. Contrary to old myths, touching someone who’s been struck is safe, since they don’t retain an electrical charge. Begin CPR if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, and continue until help arrives.
2. Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality
Large wildfires burning in Canada are producing this week’s smoke, which upper-level winds carry south. Unlike a storm, smoke doesn’t require sheltering in place. Instead, it requires adjusting how much time kids spend breathing hard outdoors.
Why kids face more risk than adults: Children breathe faster relative to their body size, so they take in proportionally more polluted air. Their lungs are also still developing. Additionally, kids often exercise harder and longer outdoors than adults, which pulls smoke deeper into the lungs.
Check the Air Quality Index (AQI) before the day starts, and again at midday. AirNow.gov offers a standard, reliable source you can check by zip code. Below is a simple decision framework, based on AQI, that many schools and camps use:
| AQI | Category | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Plan normal outdoor activity |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Proceed normally for most kids, but watch sensitive campers (asthma, other lung/heart conditions) for symptoms |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | Keep vigorous outdoor activity short (under an hour); move sensitive campers away from strenuous outdoor activity or indoors |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Move strenuous or long activities indoors for everyone; keep any outdoor time short and low-intensity |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Move all outdoor activities indoors |
| 300+ | Hazardous | Move all activities indoors, and consider whether the day’s programming needs to change entirely |
Practical adjustments that work well:
- Swap hiking, sports, and swim relays for indoor games, crafts, and quiet activities on smoky days.
- If some outdoor time is unavoidable, shorten it and lower the intensity. For example, choose a nature walk instead of capture the flag.
- Keep windows closed in cabins and indoor spaces, and run air conditioning or air filtration if you have it.
- Watch for symptoms in any camper, including coughing, wheezing, unusual fatigue, itchy or watery eyes, chest tightness, or shortness of breath. Make sure a camper with asthma keeps their quick-relief inhaler on hand and easily accessible.
- If a camper has a known respiratory or heart condition, check in with them specifically. Otherwise, you might miss symptoms, since kids often don’t realize a feeling is smoke-related.
- N95 or KN95 masks (properly fitted) can help older kids and staff when outdoor time is unavoidable. Even so, masks don’t replace reducing time outside, and they aren’t recommended for very young children.
A note on combining heat and smoke: several regions dealing with smoke this week are also under heat advisories. As a result, these two hazards compound each other: kids need both shade or AC and clean air, and hydration reminders matter even more since heavy breathing outdoors increases smoke exposure. When possible, treat a hot, smoky day as a good reason to move the day indoors.
3. Daily Habits That Make Both Easier
- Check two things each morning: the local NWS forecast and radar for storm timing, and the AQI for your zip code.
- Build a flexible indoor backup plan for every outdoor activity block, so shifting inside doesn’t feel like scrambling.
- Communicate proactively with parents. A short daily note about weather-related schedule changes builds trust and heads off worried calls.
- Trust your instincts. If the sky looks wrong, the air smells like smoke, or thunder sounds close, act early. Kids take their cues from calm, decisive adults, so you don’t need to alarm them; simply move the day indoors matter-of-factly.
Sources
- NYC Dept. of Health: Air Quality Guidelines for Children (Child Care, Schools, Camps)
- Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services: Outdoor Activity Recommendations for Unhealthy AQI Levels
- Washington State Dept. of Health: Children and Youth Activities Guide for Air Quality
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: How to Protect Kids From Bad Air Quality During Fires
- Minnesota Dept. of Health: Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care
- AP News (via theGrio), July 2023: Summer camp kids retreat indoors as wildfire smoke affects air quality (reporting on a similar Canadian wildfire smoke event)
- National Weather Service: Lightning Safety
- AirNow.gov: Check current AQI by zip code
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