Grand County Public Health Air Quality Advisory

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Smoke and ash from the Silver Creek fire have caused a few residents of Cliffview Assisted Living Center to take refuge in Denver and with relatives living on the west end of the county. One resident voiced she hopes the lower elevation and the decrease in smoke in the air will help her breathe more easily.
Smoke and ash from the Silver Creek fire have caused a few residents of Cliffview Assisted Living Center to take refuge in Denver and with relatives living on the west end of the county. One resident voiced she hopes the lower elevation and the decrease in smoke in the air will help her breathe more easily.

Grand County Public Health, Grand County Office of Emergency Management,
Grand County Housing Authority and Grand County Manager’s Office are
working with the United States Forest Service monitoring the air quality in Grand
County. Based on the scientific data provided by the air quality monitor in
Kremmling, the risk is Moderate. According to the Colorado Department of
Public Health & Environment the Moderate category definition is: “Air quality is
acceptable; however, pollution in this range may pose a moderate health concern
for a very small number of individuals. People who are unusually sensitive to
ozone or particle pollution may experience respiratory symptoms.”

Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your
neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for
those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses the very young, and the
elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is
present Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is
making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your
neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Precautions to take:
• Avoid heavy outdoor exertion such as running or other forms of exercise.
• Keep your indoor air clean and stay inside.
• Close your doors and windows and turn off systems that ventilate air from
outside in, including your swamp cooler.
• You can run your air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake
closed and the filter clean.
• If you do not have an air conditioner and it’s too warm to stay inside without
your swamp cooler on or windows closed, seek shelter with a friend or family member with a closed air circulation system.
• Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution. You want to keep your indoor air
as clean as possible.
• Do not vacuum. It stirs up dust in your home.
• Do not smoke tobacco in your home.
• Do not burn candles, fireplaces or gas stoves.
• Don’t rely on dust masks for protection.
• Paper masks commonly found at hardware stores are designed to trap large
particles, like sawdust. They won’t protect your lungs from the small particles
found in wildfire smoke.
• Contact your health care provider if you’re concerned about your health.

Smoke in Grand County may stay in the area for the next 30 days due to multiple fires
burning in the West. The smoke level may fluctuate hourly and daily depending on
weather and fire conditions.

Grand County Public Health will monitor the air quality and update the public as
conditions change. Information will be posted on the Grand County Public Health
Facebook page and gcemergency.com. You can also sign up for emergency
notifications with Code Red on gcemergency.com.

GRAND COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
150 Moffat Street • PO Box 264 • Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado 80451-0264
970-725-3288 • FAX: 970-725-3438
https://co.grand.co.us/publichealth.html