Is there something in the air?

Though it’s been referred to as fire season for years, Dan Smith, regional airshed coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) prefers to call it “smoke season,” as it relates to his profession.

So far, even with local fires such as the Ridge Creek Fire in Hayden Lake and Sarah Loop Fire in Athol currently being battled, air quality in North Idaho has remained relatively stable.

“We haven’t issued a single (Red) advisory this year,” Smith said. “Coeur d’Alene is going through a local fire issue, but nothing that pushes us into an advisory yet, but that can change in a heartbeat.”

Smith said that keeping track of local air quality index through AIR Idaho phone app or in-person counters such as the one installed at the Shoshone Medical Center in Jacob’s Gulch, are key at this time of year, especially as the community prepares for school and fall sports seasons to start up.

With no lightning storms predicted for the next few days, this lowers the likelihood of any lightning-caused fires, so likely any fires that pop up in our region in the near future will be human-caused fires.

Fires in neighboring states can have a major impact on air quality in North Idaho. Earlier this year, Smith observed the phenomenon of smoke from fires in Canada reaching as far south as Atlanta, Georgia with wonder at the force that nature can exert.

“What’s going on in other places?” Smith asked. If there aren’t fires in the immediate area to keep an eye on, tracking the progress of regional smoke instances can give fair warning for what may be coming our way. Smith is currently tracking a fire in Northern California in addition to local fires in Kootenai County.

“Air moves in bizarre ways topographically and we have to be careful about what we’re breathing in,” Smith said.

If you don’t already have respiratory issues like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the standard AQI being in the green or yellow zones is acceptable and shouldn’t cause any issues.

When there are large-scale local wildfires ablaze nearby, there are more unpredictable small-scale air quality issues that can pop up in small valleys. Many times, Smith has registered air quality complaints from neighbors about a burn on a nearby property becoming trapped in a small area, causing a micro-climate.

Beyond limiting outdoor exposure, there is something that people can do, however. “There are DIY filters you can build yourself that are very effective at cleaning your air, and it’s kinda fun to do,” Smith said.

Particulates glom onto things that are unhealthy for humans, so Smith recommends putting together a basic Corsi-Rosenthal box to use an air filter with MERV13 furnace filters and a box fan. Smith has had this DIY device at his office in DEQ for a few years now, and even with a used filter, it still cuts down the AQI number by about half when he has it turned on high.

Learn more about the AQI where you live by going to www.airnow.gov.