Smoke rolls into town, blanketing the city, turning on streetlights, creating an eerie and choking fog. Switchboards light up as people look for answers. Citizens want to know what they should do to protect themselves. School officials want to know if outdoor events should be cancelled. The news media want to know how dangerous the smoke really is. Smoke events often catch us off guard. This guide is intended to provide local public health officials with information they need when wildfire smoke is present so they can adequately communicate health risks, and precautions to the public. This guide is the product of a collaborative effort by scientists, air quality specialists and public health professionals from federal, state, and local agencies.