Can we talk about this line for a sec? The "just stay home if you're afraid."

It's common for trolls, but unfortunately I also encounter it from people I consider friends, colleagues, wise people, etc.

Three things: First, risk mitigation is the /opposite/ of being afraid... Do you think driving sober or wearing a seatbelt means you're afraid of cars? Carrying a first-aid kit means you're afraid of backcountry hiking? Putting your food in a refrigerator means you're afraid of eating?

Obviously not. We take steps all. the. time. to reduce risk.

I’m at the 8th International Wildland Fire Conference (#WildlandFirePorto2023) & will be tweeting highlights in this thread.

Super eager to connect with others working on wildfire policy, social science, and decision-making - please say hi! (I’m easy to find in a white mask) The incomparable historian of fire @StephenJPyne is offering today’s keynote, helping us understand our long-standing connections with fire and the nature of the wildfire challenges we face today.

#WildlandFirePorto2023

I’m still wearing an N95 anytime I share indoor air.

So, as a reminder for myself when I feel alone, or frazzled, or tired of it… here’s an ongoing thread of reasons why I’m still masking.

1/n I’m still masking because I still believe all the things we said in 2020 about caring for & protecting each other.

I wear a mask to make sure I don’t spread COVID or anything else to others, both folks who are vulnerable and the ~10% of everyone who will get Long COVID.

2/n

This is so, so important: masks & mandates matter because they make spaces more inclusive.

Your class might look young and healthy on the surface, until you learn about your student with cancer or MS, or your student caring for an immunocompromised grandparent. Every year I'm...

https://twitter.com/maxwellsmith/status/1577796312363319302

...blown away by the incredible vulnerability faced by so many, whether themselves, someone they love, someone they care for as a worker, or anything else.

And often they don't even know it right then. I've known so many students who have received life-altering diagnoses...

The sad part about COVID
is how easy it is
to imagine a different world.

A world where we spent the last 2.5 years upgrading ventilation in our buildings, so we could remove masks because it was safe, not because we were bored.

A world where @CanadasLifeline’s announced the… …end of mandatory masking in their clinics because they had finally upgraded their last clinic, not because they decided COVID isn’t worth caring about any more.

A world where we spent 2.5 years giving - yes, giving - people the tools to purify the air in their homes…

The most common question I got from this set of tweets was "what air purifier do you use when traveling?"

Let's talk about that... and, more importantly, the logic I used to choose so that you can make the right choice for your home, office, or travel use! (🧵, 1/)

https://twitter.com/ericbkennedy/status/1544319858304753675

When I'm thinking about air purifiers, there are two different scenarios:

(1) A situation where people are actively breathing in your space (e.g., a wedding, an open concept office, a classroom), or

(2) A situation where only you are in the space (e.g, office, hotel room). 2/

I know it feels impossible to avoid COVID these days, but I just traveled for 4 weeks, took 10 flights, gave 4 in-person presentations, and attended 3 conferences without catching COVID... and you can too.

Yes, COVID is highly transmissible, but it's not magic. A brief 🧵. Because #COVIDisAirborne, two rules formed the backbone of my protection:

(1) Wear a well-fit N95.
(2) Don't not wear a well-fit N95.

#1 is relatively easy. #2 can be hard, and my guess is this is where most people catch COVID, whether in day-to-day life or traveling. 2/

The failure of policing in Ottawa is just extraordinary to witness. But, there are three types of failures all happening at once - and if we're going to solve this mess in the long term, we need to pay attention to each of them.

A short thread 🧵... (1/n) Failure #1: Inconsistent, uneven policing.

Often, critiques about racist policing can feel abstract (like when shown with statistics) or hypothetical (like when asked, as police break up an Indigenous protest, to imagine how they'd behave if the protesters were white). (2/n)

I’ve been shocked by how bad some police responses have been to the protests across America and how much police seem to misunderstand them. As a researcher in emergency management I have to speak up, even if the close relationship of EM and policing makes it uncomfortable. [1/14] In disaster ethics, we teach the concept of ‘special duties’– obligations that arise because of roles we take on. Emergency management is full of them. Firefighters gain special duties to enter burning buildings. Paramedics & doctors take on special duties to help the ill. [2/14]

As usual, Trump seems remarkably confused about wildfire. As a professor who specializes in wildfire management, let's talk a little about what's /really/ going on... [1/n]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190995035703185408

Point #1: Trump saying "you don't see close to the level of burn in other states" = technically correct but massively misleading. The primary reason is environmental factors: California has a perfect mix of weather, fuel, and landscapes for fire. [2/n]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190995035703185408

So, you might be asking: Why /not/ use planes or helicopters to fight the fire at Notre Dame? Let's talk about it! (1/n)

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1117844987293487104

Your first option would be to use a water bomber like @realDonaldTrump suggests. France owns about a dozen of these CL-415s, which they use for fighting wildfires.

There are a few big problems here, though: availability, filling, and impact.