Friday, October 13, 2017

Fires/smoke and air quality alerts


The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (http://www.baaqmd.gov) has issued a Health Advisory and Spare the Air Alert this week. Very unhealthy air quality from the wildfires in the North Bay is causing unprecedented levels of air pollution throughout the Bay Area. Due to active wildfires and changing wind patterns, air quality could be impacted for many days to come. Outside of the active fire areas, air quality will be variable and unpredictable. Air quality may improve at times or get worse, very quickly.

For those of you who are reading this and are not in the Bay Area, go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air. Now take another one and savor it. We tend to take so much for granted, Including breathable air, until we are faced with situations like this.

Sunday evening in the middle of the night I woke up and thought I smelled smoke. I crept down to my kitchen to make sure that I hadn’t left on an appliance. There was nothing obvious. I poked my sleeping husband, “do you smell something?” He grunted “mmmph” which I took as a NO, so l went back to sleep. It turns out that many of the people I know had done some vestige of the middle-of-the- night sniffing around. Some had gone outside to make sure there was nothing burning in the immediate vicinity. When I turned on the news on Monday morning we had an answer. The news about the fire up in the north bay was devastating. So many homes, schools, and businesses are gone, including the home of one of my very best friends, where I was lucky enough to spend countless weekends in their little patch of heaven. It is heartbreaking.

An acquaintance of mine who is a reporter reached out and I got my 30 seconds of fame later that morning


Understandably the phones and emails have been nonstop for parents worried about the impact of the smoke.

It is not surprising that many people are experiencing some degree of irritation from the smoke. For those of you who are not local, we are talking about serious smoke. Here in SF we are almost 70 miles away from the actual flames but we are still impacted. There is ash on the cars. Have you ever been to a bonfire or campfire? You know how your clothes reek of smoke? That is how the air smells. The beautiful panoramic views that we get from our hilltops are clouded by a gray haze. Scratchy throat, stingy eyes, irritated sinuses, headaches are prevalent.


The most basic suggestion is common sense. Pay attention to local air quality reports. The link will give you information about how the air is improving or worsening:


Stay indoors and keep your indoor air as clean as possible. Keep windows and doors closed. Luckily it isn’t too hot this week, but if it gets warmer, run an air conditioner if you have one, ( most folks in SF don’t actually own one.) If you do have one, keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside.

Do not add to indoor pollution. Don’t use anything that burns, such as candles or incense. Don’t vacuum unless you have a really good filtered machine. Normal vacuums stir up particles that are already inside your home. Don’t smoke tobacco or other products; the air is already polluted enough!!

Avoid any strenuous activity outside. It is fine to get to where you need to go. I just wouldn’t do any extra outdoor playing until things improve. I don’t think the bounce house birthday party in the park is a good idea this weekend.

Use an air filter
If you have a HEPA filter, use it. My patients reported that the local stores were completely out of the machines today. I would suggest that you take advantage of online shopping. It is probably not a bad investment even if the air is improved by the time you get it.
I am by no means an expert on Hepa filters and there is a lot of information online. I feel like consumers reports is a pretty good guide, so I am including that:


Keep in mind that the ionic filters that create ozone are not recommended and will not remove the particles that we are concerned about.

Do not rely on dust masks for protection. The only masks that will be at all protective are labeled N95 o N100. They don’t seal well on a young child, so your best bet is staying indoors.

In San Francisco with our blessed fog that comes and clears things out on a regular basis, we are accustomed to better than average air quality. It is important to keep in mind that there are populations around the world where the norm is very unhealthy air all of the time. For most healthy folks, a week or so of terrible air won’t have a lasting impact.

If you have a child with sensitive lungs absolutely keep an eye on them. Wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain and/ or rapid heartbeat would be reason to get seen by the physician. If your child has a prescription for inhaled steroids, it might be a good idea to get those out and start using them at the first sign of any issues. Remember that if an inhaler hasn’t been used in over 2 weeks, it may need to be primed.

At this time, there has been no medical directive issued to leave the area . It is hard to say how long the fires and bad air will be an issue, and more information may be forthcoming from the Air Quality District in the next few days. There seems to be no good answer at this point as to when to go and how far folks would need to travel to be safe as there are wildfires all over southern California as well. Do what you feel is best for you and your family.

Your local municipalities should be able to provide you with information regarding air quality, safety precautions, evacuation and recommendations for local facilities that have filtered air.


A friend of mine who lives in Santa Barbara and has been through this a number of times, posted a very good list that is worth sharing:


Home Evacuation Checklist – How to Prepare for Evacuation:

Inside the House
  • Shut all windows and doors, leaving them unlocked.
  • Remove flammable window shades, curtains and close metal shutters.
  • Remove lightweight curtains.
  • Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.
  • Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights.
  • Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house under smoky conditions.
  • Shut off the air conditioning

Outside
  • Gather up flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (patio furniture, children’s toys, door mats, trash cans, etc.) or place them in your pool.
  • Turn off propane tanks.
  • Move propane BBQ appliances away from structures.
  • Connect garden hoses to outside water valves or spigots for use by firefighters. Fill water buckets and place them around the house.
  • Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, they can affect critical water pressure.
  • Leave exterior lights on so your home is visible to firefighters in the smoke or darkness of night.
  • Put your Emergency Supply Kit in your vehicle.
  • Back your car into the driveway with vehicle loaded and all doors and windows closed. Carry your car keys with you.
  • Have a ladder available and place it at the corner of the house for firefighters to quickly access your roof.
  • Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.
  • Patrol your property and monitor the fire situation. Don’t wait for an evacuation order if you feel threatened.
  • Check on neighbors and make sure they are preparing to leave.

I also want to share some wisdom from Heather, a local mom who started a group called www.circleoflightsf.com

As many of you know well, we have neighbors in need. 22 fires, many out of control, continue to rage in our backyard counties. In San Francisco, many miles away from the wildfires, we wake up daily to a visible, dense layer of smog and keep our stir-crazy kids and pets inside so they won’t breathe in what has become pretty horrible air quality. In the towns directly affected by this horrific and overnight destruction, hundreds of people have lost everything they have with thousands more forced to evacuate their homes, waiting in the wings to see what happens next. Some have lost or missing family members including precious animals. I cannot imagine what the air quality is closer to the destruction and active fire zone, nor how long it will take for kids to even be able to go back to school, much less what it will take to rebuild homes and businesses after the damage is done.

Because many of you, like me, feel lost in how to help, I have asked my friends directly affected by this tragedy what we can do from afar. There are many resources available out there; here are a few I found to be noteworthy:

1.   Donate to a credible monetary fund in the area who is directly helping victims in Napa. This is a good and relatively easy one to do remotely; the fund will use the money however it is best needed on a day by day basis: http://www.napavalleycf.org/fire-donation-page/ http://www.napavalleycf.org/napa-fire-press-release/

2.   Help feed and nourish Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County community by providing healthy and nutritious meals to those in need; SAGmonkey is run by a friend and long-time resident of Sonoma County who is generously giving his time and energies to help to rebuild our community.

Your donations will go directly to the purchase of food and supplies to prepare and distribute fully cooked meals over the course of the next three months. By utilizing the resources of the Redwood Empire Food Bank and other local food pantries we will prepare and distribute meals for those in need. We want to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and friends by providing this service. We have a commercial mobile kitchen trailer that is fully licensed by the State of California and the County of Sonoma.

3.   Consider volunteering to staff a shelter, donating food and other needed items, and helping pets:


Donation drop off points listed here for SF and East Bay residents to avoid tying up roads:  https://sf.curbed.com/2017/10/10/16453310/northern-california-wildfire-victims-volunteer-help

4.   If you know anyone who can host people or animals in need,the travel site HipCamp is connecting evacuees who cannot return to their homes with people who have available space to host them at ranches and rural properties, bed and breakfasts, and even RVs. Anyone who wants to be added to the list can contact HipCamp atJulie.Kukral@hipcamp.com. https://www.hipcamp.com/journal/land/northern-california-hosts-offering-fire-evacuees-a-free-place-to-stay

5.   ADOPT-A-FAMILY! We were lucky enough to be able to take in dear friends who had to evacuate their home this week. We’re trying to turn a tragedy into a “Fun sleepover” for kids, dogs and adults. Since our friends who live in an affected area know many people affected directly, they recommend this as something folks really need right now. This is a difficult task if you don’t know anyone there but worth the ask as you check in with friends, colleagues and local businesses etc. who may have been affected.
Hoping the wind and weather helps us all see some relief soon…
In love and light,