June 21, 2010

Wildfire Smoke – Ways to Protect Your Family’s Health

Area forecasts call for southwest winds at 15 to 20 mph and gust up to 30 mph, carrying smoke in a northeasterly direction.

Residents can expect smoke from the Schultz fire to be heavy throughout the day. Smoke will settle into neighborhoods overnight, including areas outside the immediate evacuation areas. Anyone who can taste or smell smoke or is experiencing limited visibility due to smoke should curtail outdoor activity. People with heart disease, lung disease or asthma should avoid outdoors entirely, as should children and the elderly. If you are in the areas with heavy smoke and have not been instructed to evacuate, you are advised to remain indoors or to leave the area if you experience breathing difficulties. Please consult your healthcare provider with health concerns.

Smoke is primarily made up of small particles, gases, and water vapor, with trace amounts of hazardous air pollutants. Most harmful are the particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (70 micrometers is the diameter of a human hair). If these particles are inhaled deeply into the lungs, they can damage lung tissue and cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Many factors play into a person’s susceptibility to smoke. These factors include the level, extent, and duration of exposure, age, and individual susceptibility. Anyone who can see, taste or smell smoke should curtail outdoor activity, officials warned. But people with heart disease, lung disease or asthma should avoid the outdoors entirely, as should children and the elderly.

Symptoms from short-term smoke exposure range from scratchy throat, cough, irritated sinuses, headaches, runny nose, and stinging eyes to more serious reactions among persons with asthma, emphysema, congestive heart disease, and other existing medical conditions. Older adults and children are also high-risk groups. When smoke levels are dangerously high, the appropriate protective measures should be followed.

Ways to Protect Your Family’s Health

Use visibility guides. Because smoke is highly visible, it is possible to visually estimate smoke levels and estimate potential health impacts. Generally, the worse the visibility is, the worse the smoke is.

Use common sense. If it looks smoky outside, it is probably not a good time for outdoor activities. And it’s probably not a good time for your children to play outdoors.

If you feel ill as a result of wildfire smoke, regardless of the Air Quality Index (AQI) level, take necessary precautions: stay indoors, use a HEPA filter, and limit your activities. Contact your health care provider for additional instructions.

Pay attention to local air quality reports. Stay alert to any news coverage or health warnings related to smoke. In the event of dangerous smoke levels, the Local Health and Emergency Authorities will issue instructions.

If you are advised to stay indoors, keep your windows and doors closed. Make sure air conditioning units have a clean filter in the air intakes. Devices with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters can reduce the indoor pollution.

Do not add to indoor air pollution. Don’t use anything that burns, such as wood fireplaces, gas logs, gas stoves, or even candles. Don’t vacuum; that stirs up particles already inside your home. Don’t smoke; that puts even more pollution in your lungs, and in the lungs of people around you.

Dust masks aren’t enough! Common masks will not protect your lungs from small particles in smoke. HEPA masks may filter out the small particles but are not suitable for people with lung diseases. Those with lung diseases should follow your respiratory management plan. Call your doctor if symptoms worsen.

Please consult the Coconino County Health Department website at http://www.coconino.az.gov/health.aspx?id=6564 regarding potential hazards dealing with smoke inhalation. Visit the Arizona Department of Health Services website at http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/wildfire.htm for additional information regarding the dangers of wildfire and prescribed burn smoke and wildfire preparedness.

A Type-1 helicopter dips into White Horse Lake, Aug. 17, 2009 (Photo: Chad Black/apsn.us)

8/22UPDATE:  The Taylor Fire has now reached 95% containment.  Management of the fire has been handed over from the Type I operation over to the local Type III managers.  The remaining fire crews are working to improve the containment lines around the fire.

Hunting season began Friday, August 21, 2009. Hunters in area 6B need to be aware of the following emergency fire area closure (Order Number 04-09-10-F): The area is closed starting at the junction of Forest Road (FR) 538D and 538, east along FR 538D to FR 231A, southeast along FR 231A to FR 231, southeast to FR539, west along FR539 to FR 6249, west 1.5 miles to power line, southwest along the power line to the Taylor Cabin Trail, northwest to Winter Cabin Trail, northeast along Winter Cabin Trail to the Kelsey Springs trail junction, east to the junction of FR 538 and 538D. Kelsey Springs, Taylor Cabin and Winter Cabin trails are closed.

The following roads will remain open for thru traffic only: FR 231A, 231, and 538D. This order became effective at 6:00 AM, August 21, 2009, and will remain in force until September 21, 2009 or until rescinded.

8/19 UPDATE:  The Taylor Fire is now 85% contained.  Fire crews have been working throug out the day to secure and extend lines around the Taylor Fire.  In some areas of the fire mop-up and rehabilitation operations have started.   Protective fire wrap that was placed on the Fernow cabin was scheduled for removal today.  Officials at the Coconino National Forest also reports what they describe as a large demobilization of crews.  Some crews have begun to be released from the fire.

While heavy smoke and ash have significantly subsided throughout the region officials are still concerned about lingering smoke in some areas, including the Verde Valley.

8 P.M. 8/18 UPDATE:  With a total of 3,545 acres already burned, fire crews working on the Taylor Fire have now achieved 65 percent containment.

Throughout the day smoke has drifted to the south into the Verde Valley and Sedona area.  Some smoke was still present in the Flagstaff area, but the inversion effect that caused yesterday’s dense smoke had subsided.

As of this evening a total of 595 fire fighters from around the region are working to control the Taylor Fire.

11 A.M. 8/18 UPDATE: The Coconino National Forest office in Flagstaff has confirmed that the fire has grown to 3,000 acres, burning in rough terrain 22 miles southwest of Flagstaff. The fire is burning both on the ground and up into the ladder fuels.  Containment is at 10% with the fierfighters using a suppression strategy to attack the fire.

Spotting and torching continue to be the prominent burning activies.  Firefighters conducted burnout operations on the northeast and southern edges of the fire.  505 personnel are fighting the fire.  Total resources assigned to the Taylor Fire:  20 crews (12 hot shot crews), four helocopters, six engines, one bulldozer, and two water tenders.

The National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists are forcasting winds similar to yesterday, from the southwest sustained at 10 mph, gusting to 25 mph. The wind, coupled with low relative humidity, has produced a high growth potential for the fire.  Stay with NAZToday.com for further updates. (Update by Patrick Walker)

Previous Fire Updates:

6:30 P.M. 8/17 UPDATE:  Fire crews are continuing to make progress on the fire and now have the fire 10% contained.

11 A.M. 8/17 UPDATE:  The National Interagency Fire Command’s Southwest Coordination Center is reporting the Taylor Fire at 850 acres, with 0% containment. Parts of the fire are showing 100-foot flame lengths and the fire is spotting up to one-half mile.  The fire’s growth potential is listed as “high” and five structures are listed as threatened.  Fire crews have reported that the APS KV line, shut down last night, has sustained some damage.

The New Mexico SWC has processed orders to send two air tankers and 12 Type 1 crews to the fire.  END UPDATE (Update by Patrick Walker)

Heavy smoke and some ash has settled into the Flagstaff and Verde Valley areas from the Taylor Fire burning in Sycamore Canyon and Turkey Butte.  The Coconino County Health Department has released information about  wildfire smoke and your health.

High winds with gusts of up to 25 mph have stirred the fire which has already consumed approximately 400 acres.  The fire is burning in a steep and rocky section above Sycamore Canyon.  By 10 P.M. last night, the fire had grown to 650 acres.

Eighty five to one hundred personnel are currently working to contain the fire, including Hotshot crews from Prescott and Blue Ridge.  A type 2 crew, along with fuel management crews, and Flagstaff Fire crews are also helping to fight this fire.

Fire managers are also utilizing a heli-tanker, air attack crews, and two heavy tankers.

Many of the forest service roads in the area are closed, or are in the process of being closed including forest roads 535, 231, and 538.  Most of the hiking trails in the area have also been closed due to the fire danger.  A complete list of road and trail closures is available on the Coconino National Forest Website.

This season has seen relatively minor forest fire incidents, but dryer conditions are beginning to set in throughout Northern Arizona.  The Forest service reminds everyone to be extremely careful with fire in the National Forests.