Wildfire Smoke & Outdoor Air Quality

Wildfire Smoke

Wildfire smoke continues to affect many communities in California. The Air Pollution Control District reports the quality of the air in San Luis Obispo daily via the website AirNow.gov. The University remains open during unhealthy air days and you will need to take steps to protect the health of your employees who work outdoors. Employees with concerns about performing work due to the air quality should contact their supervisor. We encourage supervisors to consider the needs of employees and have discussions with employees about alternative work arrangements, if needed. Supervisors can contact Human Resources (HR) for guidance on accommodations and HR policies.

For questions related to wildfire smoke, contact Environmental Health & Safety at environmental-health-safety@calpoly.edu.

Air Quality Index

Depending on the Air Quality Index, or AQI, campus EHS makes recommendations for conducting both indoor and outdoor activities based on the health risk to healthy individuals. If AQI is 151 - 200 (unhealthy) EVERYONE must be concerned. The campus remains open. Campus events and activities scheduled outdoors that involved prolonged or heavy exertion will be rescheduled to a time when the air quality is better. Outdoor work and prolonged or heavy exertion should be limited where practicable. Employees who work outdoors for more than one hour should be reassigned or provided an N95 respirator for voluntary use. Indoor work and/or activities will continue as scheduled.

Please ensure employees who work outdoors are provided with information about the hazards and precautions of working outdoors during wildfire smoke events, and that they are offered an N95 mask when the AQI is above 150. It's important that employees are encouraged to report to their supervisor any health concerns associated with wild fire smoke while working outdoors.

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CSU Maritime Local Purple Air Map

Cal Maritime monitors the local and regional air quality to provide information and guidance regarding campus community activities and operations. Based on wildfires or other factors, activities may be moved indoors or even cancelled based on local conditions. Conditions are evaluated over time, and decisions are based on past, current, and forecasted air quality. The factors also include other atmospheric conditions such as wind, temperature, and similar factors.

Many different sources of air quality information are available and can vary dramatically based on the specific microclimate where sensors are located, methods of calculating the index, and other factors. Cal Maritime primarily uses Purple Air and also references and compared information to AirNow.

Cal Maritime has two air quality sensors installed on campus, and they can be viewed online anytime through Purple Air. Purple Air is a crowdsourced air monitoring network that anyone can install and can be viewed through the platform. It is usually quite accurate, and the sensors are abundant, giving more localized data points.

AirNow is operated by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is reliable data, but the nearest two sensors are in downtown Vallejo where there is often less air movement, and San Pablo. This site has detailed information on how the Air Quality Index is calculated and the recommended responses to different conditions, particularly related to your personal health.

Air Quality Index Information

Level of Health Concern	Current AQI Value	Persons Likely Affected	Actions
			Classes and Instructional Activities	Work Outdoors and in Buildings with Unfiltered Air
Good	0 to 50	None expected	No Action Anticipated	No Action Anticipated
Moderate	51 to 100	Unusually Sensitive Individuals (people with lung and heart disease) may be affected.	No Action Anticipated	Unusually sensitive people may require work accommodations.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	101 to 150	Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant women, and children.	No Action Anticipated for indoor classes. Consider moving outdoor classes to remote instruction or indoors. Instructors and students in sensitive groups may require accommodations.	Consider limiting work in outdoor or unfiltered air locations. Workers in sensitive groups may require work accommodations.
Unhealthy	151 to 200	Everyone	No Action Anticipated for indoor classes. Move all outdoor classes indoors, or to a remote platform.	Staff assigned work outdoors or in campus buildings with unfiltered air for more than 1 hour per work shift: For critical operations, provide required training and N95 respirator for voluntary use. For non-critical operations, reassign staff to work in filtered air locations or inform staff to not report for work.
Very Unhealthy	201 to 300	Everyone	Consider cancelling indoor classes if current AQI levels have maintained in this range and are expected to continue (academic activities that support clinical operations may be excluded from cancellation).	Suspend work where possible. If work is absolutely necessary, provide N95 respirators for voluntary use.
Hazardous	301 and higher	Everyone	Follow recommendations for the Very Unhealthy Category.	Follow recommendations for the Very Unhealthy category. Note: At current AQI levels over 500, outdoor work should be totally suspended. If absolutely necessary, N95 respirators are mandatory and require respiratory protection training and fit-testing.