It’s Gonna Get Rough . . . Get Ready
With 13 large wildfires currently burning in Washington State and more fires in British Columbia, Idaho, and Oregon, our air quality is, of course, being affected. In Washington State alone we’ve had 1,132 wildfires to date this year, burning 541,791 acres and sending our Air Quality Index (AQI) up into undesirable categories.
Seven counties have issued air quality alerts that are in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday. Bainbridge Island currently has Moderate air quality but we’re heading into Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups territory. And this is going to happen again and again every summer, multiple times, so you might as well prepare now.
What does this mean? First of all, avoid spending a lot of time outside if you can. If you can’t, try not to exert yourself too much. If you have a physical outdoors job, wear a mask, especially once the parts per million of pollutants in the air exceed 100 (AQI 100). If you are young, old, or in a sensitive group (you have a heart or lung condition, for example), don’t go outside. Keep animals inside as much as possible—they too are affected by bad air quality.
Those are the basics. But there’s more you can do. Read on.
Steps to Ready Your Household
Step 1. Download the AirNow app. This app shows you the current air quality so you know when it’s time to get inside. It shows you the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and airborne particles.
Step 2. Invest in some N-95 or N-100 masks. These will protect you pretty well if you need to be outside.
Step 3. Close your windows and turn on your heat pump or air conditioner to filter the air and keep things cool. Keep your doors closed as much as possible.
Step 4. Invest in air purifiers. Your heat pump can help, but you need an air purifier to filter out all the impurities. A good air purifier will tell you how many particulates are in the air inside your home.
Step 5. If you don’t have air purifiers or a heat pump or air conditioning, try to spend as much time as possible indoors in public buildings with air conditioning, like a library.
Step 6. Try to walk your dogs when the air quality is at its best. Use your AirNow app to track the AQI.
Step 7. If you have chickens or ducks, bring them inside once the AQI index hits 150. Monitor them for signs of respiratory distress. Chickens and other birds are highly sensitive to pollutants in the air.
Stay safe. Oh! Avoid vacuuming as this will temporarily worsen the quality of your indoor air.