Sacramento Smoke from Camp Fire

11/15/2018 (Permalink)

This is an air scrubber we placed in a Sacramento Business to help with the Camp Fire smoke. This helps the elderly, disabled, and children.

While the Camp Fire rages in Butte County, the smoke here is thick and suffocating. Wildfire smoke often produces high concentrations of PM2.5, very fine particulate matter that can harm the heart and lungs. Local air districts track the amount of PM2.5 in the region to create an Air Quality Index. An Air Quality index over 150 is considered unhealthy – a “code red” day. An Air Quality Index over 200 is considered very unhealthy.

According to Sacramento's Spare the Air website, the current conditions of fine particulate matter in the air are hazardous. The entire population is more likely to experience serious health effects and should avoid all outdoor physical activity, remain indoors and keep activity levels low. 

In order to stay safe from this air quality, public officials have recommended the following:

• STAY INDOORS!
• Wear a N95 Respirator Mask. The city of Sacramento is offering its residents free respirator masks at fire stations to deal with smoke and worsening air quality caused by the Camp Fire.
• Get an air scrubber for air filtration at your business. An air scrubber is a portable filtration system that removes particles, gasses, and/or chemicals from the air within a given area. SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade is currently renting out air scrubbers for businesses and homes in the Sacramento Area.
• Cut back on driving. When ozone pollution is high, cut back on your driving and cancel one car trip to help lower pollution.
• Bring your lunch to work. This easy action reduces two trips, one to get to the restaurant and one to return to work.
• Postpone errands until the Spare The Air alert is over. This action will reduce one or more round-trips and keep those car emissions out of our air when pollution is already high.
• Link your errands into one big trip. This reduces pollution by minimizing cold starts. A cold engine that's been sitting for an hour or more pollutes up to five times more than a warm engine. You'll reduce pollution, save fuel and save time.
• Take public transit for one or more trips. Plan now and check out transit schedules in your area so when it's a Spare The Air day you're prepared to use public transit. 
• Work from home. Working from home reduces two trips, one to get to work and one to return home. Plan now and get employer permission in advance.
• Share a ride with a friend to social and recreational activities. Instead of meeting a friend at an event, pick them up and cut down on car trips.
• Carpool to work. Share a ride to work on a Spare The Air day. Click here to find a carpool partner! And remember, carpooling just one day a week will improve our air quality all summer long.