Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada
OBJECTIVES: During the period of June–September 2014, the Northwest Territories (NWT) experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with prolonged smoke events and poor air quality. In the context of climate change, this study sought to qualitatively explore the lived experience of the 2014 wildf...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:6964492 2023-05-15T17:46:35+02:00 Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada Dodd, Warren Scott, Patrick Howard, Courtney Scott, Craig Rose, Caren Cunsolo, Ashlee Orbinski, James 2018-05-25 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6964492/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29981098 https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 en eng Springer International Publishing http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6964492/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29981098 http://dx.doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 © The Canadian Public Health Association 2018 Qualitative Research Text 2018 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 2020-02-09T01:16:40Z OBJECTIVES: During the period of June–September 2014, the Northwest Territories (NWT) experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with prolonged smoke events and poor air quality. In the context of climate change, this study sought to qualitatively explore the lived experience of the 2014 wildfire season among four communities in the NWT. METHODS: Our team conducted 30 semi-structured interviews in four communities (Yellowknife, N’Dilo, Detah, and Kakisa). Interviewees were purposively sampled to include a broad cross-section of backgrounds and experiences. Interviews were video recorded, and the audio portion of each interview was transcribed to facilitate analysis and theme generation. RESULTS: Interviewees reported how their experiences of evacuation and isolation as well as feelings of fear, stress, and uncertainty contributed to acute and long-term negative impacts for their mental and emotional well-being. Prolonged smoke events were linked to extended time indoors and respiratory problems. Livelihood and land-based activities were disrupted for some interviewees, which had negative consequences for mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Individual and community stories of adaptation and resilience prior to and during the summer, including the opening of indoor recreational spaces, were shared; however, there was consensus about the need for improved risk communication and coordination at the community and territorial levels to address similar events in the future. CONCLUSION: Coordinated community-based education, communication, and adaptation initiatives that are inclusive of local knowledge, values, and context are needed to address the expressed needs of community members associated with prolonged smoke events and wildfire seasons. Text Northwest Territories Yellowknife PubMed Central (PMC) Canada Kakisa ENVELOPE(-117.356,-117.356,60.931,60.931) Northwest Territories Yellowknife Canadian Journal of Public Health 109 3 327 337 |
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topic |
Qualitative Research |
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Qualitative Research Dodd, Warren Scott, Patrick Howard, Courtney Scott, Craig Rose, Caren Cunsolo, Ashlee Orbinski, James Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
topic_facet |
Qualitative Research |
description |
OBJECTIVES: During the period of June–September 2014, the Northwest Territories (NWT) experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with prolonged smoke events and poor air quality. In the context of climate change, this study sought to qualitatively explore the lived experience of the 2014 wildfire season among four communities in the NWT. METHODS: Our team conducted 30 semi-structured interviews in four communities (Yellowknife, N’Dilo, Detah, and Kakisa). Interviewees were purposively sampled to include a broad cross-section of backgrounds and experiences. Interviews were video recorded, and the audio portion of each interview was transcribed to facilitate analysis and theme generation. RESULTS: Interviewees reported how their experiences of evacuation and isolation as well as feelings of fear, stress, and uncertainty contributed to acute and long-term negative impacts for their mental and emotional well-being. Prolonged smoke events were linked to extended time indoors and respiratory problems. Livelihood and land-based activities were disrupted for some interviewees, which had negative consequences for mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Individual and community stories of adaptation and resilience prior to and during the summer, including the opening of indoor recreational spaces, were shared; however, there was consensus about the need for improved risk communication and coordination at the community and territorial levels to address similar events in the future. CONCLUSION: Coordinated community-based education, communication, and adaptation initiatives that are inclusive of local knowledge, values, and context are needed to address the expressed needs of community members associated with prolonged smoke events and wildfire seasons. |
format |
Text |
author |
Dodd, Warren Scott, Patrick Howard, Courtney Scott, Craig Rose, Caren Cunsolo, Ashlee Orbinski, James |
author_facet |
Dodd, Warren Scott, Patrick Howard, Courtney Scott, Craig Rose, Caren Cunsolo, Ashlee Orbinski, James |
author_sort |
Dodd, Warren |
title |
Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
title_short |
Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
title_full |
Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lived experience of a record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories, Canada |
title_sort |
lived experience of a record wildfire season in the northwest territories, canada |
publisher |
Springer International Publishing |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6964492/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29981098 https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-117.356,-117.356,60.931,60.931) |
geographic |
Canada Kakisa Northwest Territories Yellowknife |
geographic_facet |
Canada Kakisa Northwest Territories Yellowknife |
genre |
Northwest Territories Yellowknife |
genre_facet |
Northwest Territories Yellowknife |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6964492/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29981098 http://dx.doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 |
op_rights |
© The Canadian Public Health Association 2018 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0070-5 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Public Health |
container_volume |
109 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
327 |
op_container_end_page |
337 |
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1766150317770014720 |