September 19-20,
2020
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September
18, 2020
Contact: Shasta
County Air Quality Management District, 530-225-5674
AIR QUALITY
OFFICIALS URGE YOU TO BE AWARE OF WILDFIRE SMOKE
SHASTA COUNTY – The Shasta
County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is advising Shasta County
residents to remain aware of potential smoke impacts due to multiple wildfires
burning in the Northern California and Oregon region. Current
weather forecasts and predicted fire growth indicate that some areas within
Shasta County may experience impacts, especially during morning hours when
smoke tends to settle. The AQI level is expected to range in the MODERATE to UNHEALTHY
FOR SENSITIVE INDIVIDUALS range though Sunday, September 20, 2020. Certain
areas may experience varied concentrations of smoke based on proximity to
wildfires and localized weather conditions. The public—especially those with
respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women and children—should
remain alert, and if necessary, reduce or avoid all outdoor exertion when
wildfire smoke is present. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion in
areas of unhealthy smoke accumulation. To minimize exposure to smoke:
• Remain indoors with the
windows and doors closed
• Turn on an air conditioner with a recirculation setting
(such as in a vehicle)
• Non‐HEPA paper face mask filters and bandana-type face coverings
may be helpful in reducing the spread of germs and viruses, but they are not
capable of filtering out extra fine particulates that are much smaller in size.
Therefore, non-HEPA masks will not be helpful in protecting individuals from
smoke-related impacts.
The Air Quality Management District operates two air quality monitors in Anderson and Redding that continuously monitor for fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5). Some areas of Shasta County may experience higher concentrations of smoke than others depending on wind patterns and topography. All individuals are urged to use proper judgement when planning activities.
You can easily obtain current air quality readings two
ways:
The Air Quality Index (AQI) readings (represented by circles) from the
fixed monitors are updated hourly and are available at Shasta County AQMD’s Current
Air Quality Map
Additionally, AirNow has
created a sensor data pilot project designed to provide the public with
additional information on levels of particle pollution (PM2.5) in the air,
particularly during wildfires. The project adds data from low-cost sensors to
the Fire and Smoke Map on
the Fire.AirNow.gov website.
For additional
information and updates, visit the Shasta
County Air Quality Management District Wildfire Smoke Webpage or call 530-225-5674.
Outdoor Worker
Information: CAL/OSHA
Emergency Wildfire Smoke Rule
Additional safety tips can be found at the Shasta County
Health and Human Services Agency’s protect
yourself from wildfire smoke webpage.
For information on preparing and recovery from wildfire
visit: Wildfire
Recovery and Preparedness
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