While some localized smoke impacts from fires in the Cascades are still lingering, recent wet and cool weather has helped wind down this summer’s wildfire season. Looking back at air monitoring data, most areas of the state experienced at least one day of air quality that was “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (USG) or worse this summer. USG is a category on the Air Quality Index (AQI).

Coastal areas were the main exception, largely avoiding periods of unhealthy air quality. Central and Northeast Washington observed the most prolonged and extreme smoke impacts, largely due to their proximity to the season’s largest fires.

Most parts of the state saw unhealthy air quality this wildfire season. It was an especially smoky year for Chelan and Okanogan counties, as well as several counties in Northeastern Washington.

In the plot below, the black bars represent each county’s number of days with USG or worse air quality this year. The grey bars show each county’s highest number of smoky days (USG or worse) before 2026, with the year listed above each bar. While smoke is not unusual during Eastern Washington summers, a few counties saw their highest smoke exposure over the past 20 years.

Department of Ecology State of Washington

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The City of Selah is moving closer to starting construction on significant improvements to its civic center, with renovations designed to enhance fire safety and the building’s capacity to serve as an emergency shelter.

Mayor Roger Bell said the city recently opened bids for the project and plans to present the lowest bid to city council this week for approval. The timing positions the project to begin construction the week after Christmas.

The renovations address critical safety and operational needs. A new sprinkler system will improve fire safety throughout the building. Additionally, the addition of showers will enable the civic center to better function as an emergency shelter, providing essential facilities for residents during community emergencies.

Beyond safety improvements, the city is also updating the building’s layout. The renovation will create a new office area while maintaining the event space as a separate function within the building. This reconfiguration will improve the building’s operational efficiency and allow it to better serve multiple community needs.The Brief

Apple Valley News Now

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Warrior™ is a double-jacketed fire hose that is compliant with UL-19, the Underwriters Laboratories safety standard for lined fire hoses and hose assemblies.

The post Answering the Call appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Decatur City Council approved $124,991 for an analysis of the proposed Union Pacific Norfolk Southern merger, aiming to seek federal conditions on added train traffic, congestion, and emergency delays.

The post Il City Intervenes in Massive Rail Merger to Head Off Increase in Apparatus Response Delays appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Rancho Cucamonga will buy Hamilton Family Brewery's Archibald Ave. site for $7.8 million to convert it into a fire station.

The post Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Brewery will Become a Fire Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.