Burney Lions Club continuing free air particulate mask giveaway

BURNEY –With all the smoke that has been lingering in the air from the numerous fires that have been burning in and around Burney and the Intermountain area, Burney Lions Club has been trying to help by handing out free respirators to all area residents.

Club members were recently given a donation of 400 masks and are giving the masks away on the west end of town, in front of the Burney Lion’s hall at 37006 Main St., next Mt. Burney Movie Theater.

In the last two days, Lions Club members have given away more than 40 respirators and members say they will continue handing out the particulate masks throughout the remainder of the week, or until their supply is exhausted.

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:

Already arrested 37 times, pair arrested again at Redding Library for drug sales, use

Woman arrested after exchanging gunfire with victims during Millville home burglary

CASSEL: Couple arrested during residential burglary investigation

With Burney basin air quality so poor, Lions Club members have been handing out the high-quality 3M N95 particulate masks for residents to wear for protection against the smoke since yesterday.

The thick, lingering smoke is caused by fires burning in the Redding, Lakehead and Canby areas and the problem has been exacerbated by a weather phenomena called a temperature inversion, which “traps the stale air and smoke and keeps it low to the ground,” according to Burney Fire Protection District officials,. BFPD officials have been helping to spread the word about the free masks being offered by club members on social media.

Although BFPD does not have an air quality monitoring device to measure the particulate coun within the Burney area, which can run anywhere from $500 to $1500 and more, fire officials have explained, “visually, it is as bad today as it has been this year.”

“Please stay inside and if you need to do outside labor use a filter mask,” BFPD officials wrote in a social media post.

(More information about the free mask giveaway can be found on Burney Lions Club’s Facebook page or by calling (530) 335-4576.)

Smoke may smell good, but it’s not good for you,” according to AirNow.gov, and “some people are more at risk.”

“While not everyone has the same sensitivity to wildfire smoke, it’s still a good idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can help it,” says AirNow. “And when smoke is heavy, such as can occur in close proximity to a wildfire, it’s bad for everyone.”

“Smoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine particles produced when wood and other organic materials burn,” AirNow continued. “The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles.”

The microscopic particles can penetrate deep into a person’s lungs and can cause a range of health problems, “from burning eyes and a runny nose to aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases,” AirNow explained, saying, “Exposure to particle pollution is even linked to premature death.”

SEE RELATED: Citing “extreme wildfire conditions,” SPI closes all public access to its CA forest lands

As of 1 p.m. today, AirNow listed the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Redding and the surrounding areas as considered dangerously high and considered “Unhealthy.”

“People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion,” AirNow wrote online. “Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.”

According to AirNow, it is especially important for you to pay attention to local air quality reports during a fire if you are:

• a person with heart or lung disease, such as heart failure, angina, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma.
• an older adult, which makes you more likely to have heart or lung disease than younger people.
• caring for children, including teenagers, because their respiratory systems are still developing, they breathe more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults, they’re more likely to be active outdoors, and they’re more likely to have asthma.
• a person with diabetes, because you are more likely to have underlying cardiovascular disease.
• a pregnant woman, because there could be potential health effects for both you and the developing fetus.

For more information about how lingering fire smoke can be harmful to your health, visit AirNow.Gov

---

Other area Lions Clubs are also providing assistance and disaster relief, such as Lions District 4-C1 in Redding, which is giving away free water, toiletries and hygiene products, and cleaning supplies. For more information, click the social media link below.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.