The difference between being prepared or feeling vulnerable

When wildfire and its related smoke and ash occur, it can upend routines and threaten our sense of well-being. If you work in an outdoor occupation, wildfire and poor air quality can pose additional health risks and economic disruptions. Knowing in real-time how air quality conditions in the field are changing can mean the difference between being prepared or vulnerable.

Until now most air quality sensors in our region have been limited to areas with internet connectivity and line power. Under a new pilot project being launched by Pepperwood, with funding from the EPA, researchers have installed 20 plus sensors throughout the Alexander Valley. These new sensors are solar-powered and connected over cellular, allowing the units to be sited in previously unmonitored areas such as vineyards, wildlands, and many of the outdoor spaces where members of our community work and recreate. Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Modini Preserve is one such site.

Improving early detection systems

Several sites hosting fire cameras on the state-wide ALERTCalifornia network also now host the new sensors. While the ALERTCalifornia network works well for line-of-sight monitoring of developing wildfires, what’s been missing is an automated system for notifying affected communities of changes in air quality.

“The installation at Modini Preserve is a critical addition to this network as it represents a combination of both an N5 Sensor for wildfire detection and a Clarity Node for air quality monitoring,” reports Ryan Ferrell, sentinel site manager with Pepperwood. The sensor’s location straddles a ridge between the Sausal and McDonnell Creek drainages and provides coverage for the often
drier east side of the Alexander Valley. “This is exciting because this particular installation sits between our forested uplands, where wildfire typically occurs, and the Alexander Valley below, where vulnerable community members often live and work,” adds Ferrell.

Making the science accessible and meaningful to people who live and work in the area

Key to the success of this pilot program, Pepperwood and its partners are working on practical solutions to circulate real-time information to community members. Ferrell is hopeful that the data will allow individuals to make informed decisions about their exposure to smoke and other airborne pollutants.

View Pepperwood’s real-time air quality map and other resources >

Additional partners in this effort include the Universities Space Research Association, Soluna Outreach Solutions, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Communities Organized to Prepare for Emergencies, North Bay Jobs with Justice, Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, and Nuestra Comunidad.