Around 9 a.m., the Missoula City-County Health Department stepped up the valley's existing air quality warning to a Stage II, which essentially means the air is unhealthy. It is expected to last through Saturday afternoon.
The last time air quality in Missoula was this bad was in 2003 when, as now, smoke from forest fires engulfed the area, said air quality specialist Erik Englebert.
Suddenly, face masks have become fashionable for bikers and walkers. High school athletes are forced indoors to practice. The Kim Williams trail looks oddly empty.
At a time when people want to take advantage of the waning summer days, health professionals are telling them to stay indoors.
“Everyone will be affected differently by smoke,” Englebert said. “Folks really need to listen to their bodies.”
There are four air-quality warnings. Stage IV is when people can't see across the street. Missoula had been in Stage I conditions for several days. Health professionals are checking air quality hourly, Englebert said.
North of Missoula, the Red Cross, Lake County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are setting up clean air shelters for people who need to catch their breath. They are located in Elmo, Arlee and St. Ignatius.
Barb Plouffe, a community health nurse with the Tribal Health Department said the centers are for people who don't have air conditioning in their homes, but can't open up their windows because of the smoke. They can cool off at these centers for a while, she said.
If it seemed hotter than normal Friday, it wasn't because of the smoke.
Smoke actually causes slightly cooler temperatures because it blocks some of the heat from reaching the Earth's surface, said meteorologist Trent Smith of the National Weather Service.
Visibility was about 2 1/2 miles around 4 p.m. Friday, not enough to keep commercial flights out of the air, said Cris Jensen, director of the Missoula airport.
What was restricted was high school athletics.
Hellgate High School assistant principal Tony Gallegos pulled the football team off the practice field Friday morning shortly after the Stage II warning was issued. Missoula County Public Schools have a policy not to practice outside in a Stage II air-quality alert.
It's a busy time for high school athletics, with many teams practicing twice a day, but Gallegos expected smoke to kick the kids indoors. He drew up a practice schedule two weeks ago to accommodate for the many teams having to share limited gym space. The cross-country teams are running the halls of the school, he said.
Coaches are supposed to call prior to each practice for air-quality updates, he said.
Across town, Sentinel football players were disappointed to hear their scrimmage had been postponed, said assistant principal Scott Whaley.
“We are taking quite a few precautions,” he said. “The kids have been pretty good about it. It's frustrating for the coaches, but it's all about being flexible.”
Although ash fell from the sky at times Thursday evening and the smoke was black, Englebert said air quality wasn't poor enough until Friday morning to declare a Stage II. Health professionals take the average air quality over eight hours, he said.
Pattie Johnsey, a registered respiratory therapist at St. Patrick Hospital, suggested everyone limit their exposure to the smoke, especially people with lung or heart disease, and remember to drink lots of water. Smokers, the elderly and children should also limit their exposure to the smoke, according to the health department.
For more information on air quality, call the county's hotline at 258-3600 or check online at www.co.missoula.mt.us/EnvHealth/
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