Source- BC Centre for Disease Control

People with heart or lung conditions, the elderly, children, and pregnant women are considered more sensitive to air pollution. Follow your doctor’s usual advice about exercising and managing your condition.

Different agencies provide information on air quality across the province using various tools. BCCDC_WildFire_FactSheet_SmokeAndAirQuality.pdf 

1. Download the WeatherCAN app and set up notifications for alerts when the AQHI reaches the level you wish to be notified.  
2. Subscribe to Air Quality Advisories and Smoky Skies Bulletins  

Residential

Please submit an Environmental Concern-Air Quality for residential smoke (indoor appliances), idling vehicles, and local air quality concerns.

Outdoor burning

For outdoor wood burning, please visit our Outdoor burning page. 

Industrial

For industrial-related concerns about air quality in the Central Okanagan:

• Get in touch with the Ministry of Environment ([email protected]) or call the 24-hour RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) tip-line (1-877-952-7277).

The Ministry of Environment’s reactive team collects information from all the complaints and uses that data to support planned inspections. Any evidence of ash or smoke leaving the property would be used to strengthen a complaint. If you’re including photos with your complaint, be sure the sun is at your back when the picture is taken.

Please check current B.C. air quality advisories.

When an air quality advisory is in place for the Central Okanagan, please check the AQHI frequently, as conditions can change within hours. Smoke concentrations will vary widely as winds, fire behaviour and temperatures change. Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard Map and smoke forecasts to look for active wildfires and how smoke could affect our region in the next 48 hours. 

If you’re planning a trip within B.C., check the BC Air Quality website before and during your stay to verify air quality conditions and learn how to protect your health. 

The most important thing to do is reduce your exposure to smoke. Be sure to drink lots of water, which can help reduce inflammation and avoid being too active.

At home

• Stay indoors as much as possible
• Try to keep your indoor environment smoke-free
• Keep doors, windows, and fireplace dampers shut
• Avoid smoking cigarettes, burning candles or incense, using wood stoves, and vacuuming during smoky periods. These actions cause unhealthy particulates to circulate in your indoor air
• Create a little clean-air shelter in your home by using a portable HEPA air cleaner
• Use air conditioners on the recirculation setting so outside air will not be moved inside
• Don't exercise outdoors

At the office

• Reduce fresh air uptake into homes/offices
• Buildings such as shopping malls, community centres and libraries also tend to have better indoor air quality because they have larger air filtration systems

Face masks

• Please check the BC Centre for Disease Control guideline on Face Masks during wildfires

Older adults and children

• Children are more susceptible to smoke because their breathing systems are still developing. They breathe in more air (and therefore more smoke) than adults
• Older adults are more likely to have heart or lung disease, which can make them more susceptible to smoke. Extra precautions should also be taken during forest fire season

While driving

• Keep your windows and vents closed while driving
• Only use air conditioning in the “recirculate” setting
• Check road and weather conditions, as well as Wildfire Highway Closures

If you’re responsible for children or organizing an outdoor event (coaches, teachers, daycares and sports clubs):

• Use your discretion to decide whether outdoor activities should go as planned, be postponed or cancelled.
• Smoke conditions may change within hours.  Check Central Okanagan's current air quality conditions and smoke forecasts to make an informed decision.
• While no formal provincial guideline exists, some regions consider cancelling events when:
  • Outdoor PM2.5 concentrations are above 80.5 μm/m³ or
  • The Air Quality Health Index is a Level 9 or higher.

Although we can't get rid of the smoke outdoors, there are a number of options for creating cleaner air at home.

DIY air cleaners

See the BC Lung Foundation's page on DIY air cleaners for step-by-step guides and instructional videos on how to build your own air cleaner unit for less than $100.

Install a HEPA air filtration unit 

Installing a HEPA Filtration unit, also known as an air purifier, in your home can help prevent harmful, smoky air from entering your residence. Air purifiers are portable appliances that filter out tiny particulate matter (PM) - 2.5 microns and smaller. These ultrafine particles are the most common and dangerous component of wildfire smoke.

HEPA air filtration units typically come with replaceable carbon pre-filters that remove volatile organic compounds in wildfire smoke, such as benzene, acrolein and formaldehyde. Pre-filters take care of larger particles, such as pollen, too. As the units blow out filtered air, they double as fans

Portable filtration units use small HEPA filters and plug into a standard wall outlet in your home. HEPA air filters work best when all windows and outside doors are closed. Buy a suitable air filtration unit to fit the room you'll use most frequently, such as the bedroom.

Most units list the size of the room they can filter effectively. Others list a clean air delivery rate (CADR), in which case, choose a tobacco smoke CADR that covers at least two-thirds of the room’s area. For example, a 10’ x 12’ room (120 square feet) would require an air cleaner with a tobacco smoke CADR of at least 80. If you buy a portable air cleaner, follow the manufacturer’s specifications to choose the right size for the room you will use it in. 

Central heating or cooling

If you have a central heating and cooling system, the filters that can provide adequate protection from wildfire smoke are the MERV 13 up to HEPA. Be sure to have filter replacements available. During prolonged smoke events, the filter's efficiency could be affected.