Medford, Ore.—The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has
issued an air quality advisory for Jackson and Josephine counties and portions
of Klamath County, particularly around Klamath Falls, as wildfire smoke
continues to affect large portions of Southwest Oregon.
Air quality is expected to be a
concern through Thursday morning. At 9 a.m. Monday morning, air quality was very
unhealthy in Shady Cove, unhealthy for sensitive groups in Medford and moderate
in Klamath Falls. Conditions are expected to worsen this afternoon.
Local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly,
depending on fire activity and weather factors including wind direction. Residents can view current air
quality conditions at DEQ’s Air Quality Index https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map.
The index is also available on smart phones. Simply search for OregonAir in
your app store.
The
Oregon Smoke Blog also has an air quality map that includes temporary monitors
close to specific fires, daily smoke forecasts for specific areas, and other
resources. Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog for more information: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
The
color-coded Air Quality Index ranks air quality as follows: Green is
good. Yellow is moderate, which is unhealthy for extremely sensitive groups.
Orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women
and those with respiratory conditions. Red is unhealthy for everyone.
Purple is very unhealthy for all groups. Maroon is hazardous.
People can take
the following precautions:
- Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations.
- Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions.
- If you have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory ailments, or are over 65, you have a higher risk of illness from wildfire smoke.
- Small children and pregnant women are also at increased risk. These residents are encouraged to stay indoors.
- People suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their healthcare providers.
Oregon's
monitoring network does not capture air quality conditions in all communities
so it is important for residents to gauge air quality conditions where they
live and take appropriate actions to protect themselves.
Contact: DEQ:
Katherine Benenati, Public Affairs Specialist, Eugene, 541-600-6119, benenati.katherine@deq.state.or.us
Jackson County: Tanya Phillips, Jackson County Public Health, 541-770-7708, philliTF@jacksoncounty.org
Klamath County: Ramona Quinn, rquinn@co.klamath.or.us
Valeree Lane, vlane@klamathcounty.org 541.882.8846
Josephine County: Michael Weber, Public Health
Director, 541-474-5339, mweber@co.josephine.or.us