Oregon Public Health Division is working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding air quality and health issues related to the 2012 Oregon wildfires.

• Please read our health and safety tips on how to minimize health impacts from wildfire smoke.

Air Quality Index

Check the Air Quality Index before heading out and take steps to protect yourself from unhealthy smoke levels. Local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly, depending on weather factors including wind direction.

What does the Air Quality Index mean?

EPA has assigned a specific color to each AQI category to make it easier for people to understand quickly whether air pollution is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities. For example, the color orange means that conditions are "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while red means that conditions may be "unhealthy for everyone," and so on.

 

---

Additional Resources

• Deschutes County Pole Creek Wildfire Information
• Deschutes County Health Department Media Releases
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
• U.S. Fire Administration Incident Information System