AQMD to Enhance Wildfire Smoke Monitoring Network

In the wake of this fall’s destructive firestorms, the Southland’s clean air agency today announced a major expansion of its wildfire smoke monitoring network and challenged all schools to fly special flags alerting students to air quality conditions.

“We know that many residents suffer severe respiratory illness from breathing smoke and other pollutants during wildfires,” said William Burke, Ed.D., Governing Board Chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

“This action will allow us to provide more air quality information during wildfires so that residents can take appropriate steps to protect their family’s health.”

“We are recognizing school districts today that took exemplary actions to protect students from wildfire smoke this fall.  In the future, all schools can be part of the solution by participating year-round in AQMD’s Air Quality Flag Program,” he added.

AQMD today approved $225,000 to enhance its air monitoring network across the region by increasing the number of instruments capable of measuring and instantaneously reporting levels of fine particulate (PM2.5), one of the chief pollutants in wildfire smoke.  To supplement AQMD’s existing network of 14 such instruments, today’s action will add four monitors at permanent sites and four mobile monitors that can be deployed during wildfires to smoke-impacted areas.

The program also will enhance wildfire air quality information available on AQMD’s website, www.aqmd.gov, and through its toll-free hotline, 1-800-CUT-SMOG (1-800-288-7664).

AQMD today also recognized 27 school districts in its four-county jurisdiction for their swift actions to keep students safe from unhealthful air.  (See following list of districts recognized.)  During the wildfires, those school districts either closed schools for one or more days, or flew air quality flags and cancelled outdoor activities.

During today’s Board meeting, some two dozen 4th- and 5th-grade students from Cecilia L. Solorio Elementary School in Fontana received air quality flags as their school pledged to be the latest to join AQMD’s Air Quality Flag Program.

“During the wildfires, we cancelled outdoor activities due to unhealthy air quality,” said Carol Bidwell-Pilgren, Ed.D., principal of Solorio Elementary. “We are looking forward to flying air quality flags to alert our students and community when air quality conditions are unhealthy.”

Under the flag program, schools fly a color-coded flag each school day corresponding to the five color-coded air quality levels in the national Air Quality Index. The index recommends specific health advice for each air quality level.  A full description of the Air Quality Flag Program is on AQMD’s website at http://www.aqmd.gov/ej/pdf/flagbrochure.pdf.

School districts recognized today are:

Anaheim City School District
Bonita Unified School District
Burbank Unified School District
Capistrano Unified School District
Castaic Union School District
Central School District
Chamlian Armenian School
Etiwanda School District
Glendora Unified School District
Irvine Unified School District
Jurupa Unified School District
Long Beach Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Moreno Valley Unified School District
Newhall School District
Orange Unified School District
Redlands Unified School District
Rim of the World Unified School District
Riverside Unified School District
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
San Bernardino City Unified School District
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Saugus Union School District
Sulphur Springs School District
Upland Unified School District
William S. Hart Union School District
Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District