Okcleanair

06/16/2021

Be safe, be smoke ready – learn how to reduce how much smoke you breathe during wildfire season. If you have an air conditioning unit at home or in your car, switch off the “fresh air intake” when it is smoky outside. Use the “recirculate feature” instead. Learn more at https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/wildfires-and-indoor-air-quality-iaq.

This collection of pages provides helpful information to reduce your exposure to wildfire smoke inside your home.

06/16/2021

Be safe, be smoke ready. If available, have N95 or P100 respirator masks ready for wildfire season. Want to make sure that your mask fits right? Check with your doctor and take a look at this information: https://www.cct-enr.com/masks/ .

06/16/2021

Let’s get smoke ready. Plan ahead so we’re ready when wildfires do affect our air quality in the Okanogan River Airshed and on the Colville Reservation. Now is the time to make a plan with your doctor, buy or make an air filter, buy respirator masks, and have a backup plan for outdoor work and events. Lean more here: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/2021/06/its-time-to-get-smoke-ready.html

06/15/2021

Wildfire smoke particles are tiny enough to bypass our body’s normal defenses, entering the lungs and blood stream. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases. The best way to protect yourself is to reduce your exposure to smoke. More DIY box fan filter information can be found at https://www.cct-enr.com/box-fan-filter

06/15/2021

Particulate matter (PM) refers the tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, including dust, pollen, organic chemicals, metals, soot, and smoke. Many of these particles are small enough to get deep into your lungs and are harmful to your health.
Smoke particles become a serious issue during wildfire season. You can reduce overall PM throughout the year by heating your home with electric, composting rather than burning yard debris.

10/05/2020

You are invited to participate in Preparing a Smoke Ready Action Plan, Community Values, Visions and Goals Workshop on November 2 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The workshop will help community members to understand how smoke affects our lives. We will be presenting the smoke ready concept, examples of strategies to minimize exposure and projects being implemented. This will be an interactive workshop with community members providing valuable input to prepare for all types of smoke.

For background on smoke ready please view recordings of our previous webinars (https://www.okcleanair.org/orap-webinars-1):
• 2020 Wildfire and Smoke Season: Smoke Season: What can we expect and making healthy choices during smoke events
• Creating a Smoke Ready Community: prepare now, know the facts, stay healthy

To access the workshop follow this link: https://epawebconferencing.acms.com/smokeready2020/

09/16/2020

We are all tiered of the smoke that has been in the area from local, regional and western fires. The local fires are producing considerably less smoke now that last week when they were very active. Smoke from the fire catastrophes in Oregon is sending the majority of the smoke to us with the high level prevailing wind. These fires are close to 500,000 combined acres in heavy fuels and timber which means a lot of smoke still headed our way. The California fires will continue to burn until a season ending precipitation event and depending on wind direction we may be breathing that for a long time. All this means is to expect Unhealthy air quality for several more days.

09/10/2020

The Air Quality Program of the Colville Tribes has extended the air quality warning through the weekend. We are expecting continued smoke emissions from all Reservation fires through Monday. Please be aware of smoke in your area and take precautions to minimize your exposure.

09/09/2020

Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke
Wildfire smoke can be unhealthy to breathe, especially for vulnerable people such as those with existing heart or lung disease, children, elders, and pregnant women. Always pay attention to how the smoke is making you feel and check with your doctor right away for help managing symptoms or any specific concerns.
Ways to Lower Smoke Exposure
1. Know your air quality. Smoke levels can change a lot during the day so watch for periods of cleaner air to run errands, exercise, or do outdoor chores. Look for opportunities to open windows and doors to let cleaner air into your home if smoke clears
• Go online to track fires and smoke here: https://fire.airnow.gov/
• Have a smartphone? Download the Smoke Sense App. https://www.epa.gov/air-research/smoke-sense-study-citizen-science-project-using-mobile-app
• Learn the colors of the AQI (air quality index) and what they mean for actions you can take to protect your health. See the AQI table below.
2. Stay inside with doors and windows closed when it’s smoky. Use towels to block air flow if smoke is coming in through gaps in window or door frames. But don’t overheat! Open doors and windows if you must to cool down. Watch for times when smoke may clear and open windows and doors to clear out smoke that has gotten inside.
3. Reduce indoor pollution you can control. Reduce or eliminate any type of smoking, no vacuuming, no candles, no incense, no aerosol sprays. Reduce or eliminate use of gas and propane stoves for cooking.
4. Take it easy. Smoky air is not good for vigorous activities. Put off chopping wood, mowing the lawn, or going for a run. Try to keep children and pets quiet too.
5. Set air to recirculate on your HVAC or window air conditioner if you have one.
6. Reduce smoke in your vehicle if you’re out in your car by closing the windows and vents and running the air conditioner on recirculate. Check your cabin air filter and replace as needed.

The chart shows smoke concentrations for Tuesday September 8th. Notice all the levels are above Unhealthy for the day.

09/08/2020

The Colville Tribes Air Quality Program issued an Air Quality Warning for the Reservation. Predictions are for air quality to vary in the Omak and Inchelium Districts from Unhealthy to Hazardous for the next couple of day. Situations are change very fast so please be aware of fire and smoke where you are.

09/08/2020

We should all prepare for Hazardous smoke conditions for the week. Please limit your outdoor activities if you can. A great source of smoke and fire information is the Washington Smoke Blog - https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/. The site has resource tabs for air quality and where the fires are.

09/02/2020

The National Predictive Services for the National Inter-agency Fire Center provided this wildfire outlook for September. Our area, Okanogan County will continue to be in the ABOVE NORMAL potential for fires through September. The predictions for October and November are looking normal for these months. Please be aware of fire safety and keep our communities air clear.