Climate-Driven Wildfire Smoke and the Expanding Scope of Canadian Respiratory Therapists: Are We Prepared for a New Public Health Era? Commentary

Wildfire smoke has changed from being a once, in, a, while natural phenomenon to a continuous and extended public health crisis in Canada.At the height of wildfire seasons, emergency departments, hospital wards, and intensive care services witness surges in respiratory, related cases that are quite predictable.Respiratory therapists (RTs) play a crucial role in the evaluation, escalation, and treatment of these patients; however, wildfire preparedness has not been thoroughly embedded into respiratory therapy practice frameworks, staffing models, or education standards to date.In this article, we contend that smoke exposure due to climate change is a new and evolving area of respiratory care in Canada.The paper looks into how the mission of RTs is expanding, points to weaknesses in preparedness and system planning, and suggests that the respiratory therapy profession should be nationally and collectively equipped through a climate-linked respiratory crisis response plan.A wildfire smoke response is an event that should not be treated as exceptional anymore; it will have to be integrated into workforce planning, clinical guidelines, and professionals' self awareness.