Spokane clean-air officials urge preparation as wildfire smoke remains biggest local threat

April Westby, executive director of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, said Spokane County’s air quality is within health standards for most of the year but remains vulnerable to wildfire smoke.

"Our air quality is considered either good or moderate on our air quality index for over 95% of the day," April Westby said, adding that since 2012 the county has averaged about 5.5 days per year with unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter caused by wildfire smoke.

Why it matters: wildfire smoke can rapidly push air-quality conditions from acceptable to unhealthy. The agency operates an hourly AQI (air quality index) reporting system and a daily two-day forecast to inform residents, and it works with local partners — including county emergency management and the Spokane Health District — to coordinate messages and any additional protective actions.

What officials told listeners: agency staff advised reducing outdoor exertion when the AQI rises, closing windows and setting air conditioners to recirculate, replacing central-air filters after smoke events, and using portable HEPA cleaners. For a lower-cost option, staff described using a box fan fitted with a MERV-13-equivalent filter and running it only in occupied rooms.

"When air quality does happen to reach unhealthy levels, we collaborate with various partners ... to communicate those unhealthy levels and also determine whether additional actions are needed to protect public health," Westby said.

The agency also noted heavy public interest during major smoke events; one cited year saw about 1,000,000 hits on the agency website as listeners sought local AQI information.

Next steps and resources: listeners were directed to spokanecleanair.org for current AQI maps and to smokereadyspokane.org for consolidated wildfire-preparedness guidance supported by the agency’s multi-year grant work. The agency encouraged households to prepare now for wildfire season and to follow partner guidance when smoke appears.