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In the event of an emergency, contact:

CA State Warning Center                                                   (800) 852-7550
US EPA Region 9 Duty Officer                                            (800) 300-2193
CDC/ATSDR 24-Hour Emergency Response Center              (770) 488-7100

Current Emergencies


Grand Fire smoke from air

California Fire Air Quality Updates for week of May 13-17, 2013:

Grand Fire (Los Padres National Forest/Kern and Ventura Counties): 

Smoke from the Grand Fire is impacting I-5 near Frazier Park and communities in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for Friday May 17, 2013. The District forecasts that air quality may reach Unhealthy levels in northwestern areas of Los Angeles County including portions of the San Gabriel Mountains. Communities in the Santa Clarita Valley area may be impacted by air quality levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups. Air quality may worsen due to fire behavior and weather conditions.

The South Coast AQMD advisory can be found at http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/2013/smokeadvisory051613.htm.

For information on current fires visit:

 Latest Information


US EPA Air Quality Index

US EPA has released its revised breakpoints for the Air Quality Index (AQI). The Wildfire Smoke Guide is slated for updating over the two years. In the meantime, Table 3 (page 31 of the Wildfire Smoke Guide) has been updated so that the 24 hr averages reflect the new AQI breakpoints. A visual demonstration of the new 24 hr averages alongside the 8 hr and 1-3 hr averages from the Wildfire Smoke Guide is also provided.



Revised Table 3 (excerpt from the Wildfire Smoke Guide) (pdf)

Visual representation of the 24, 8, and 1-3 hr averages for wildfire smoke (pdf)

Exercising patient triage   New Training Available!

The Environmental Health Laboratory Branch is pleased to announce to their emergency preparedness partners, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on-line training “Hospital Response for CBRNE Mass Casualties.”  This course was developed through support from the federal Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) and offers a comprehensive overview for all emergency responders and first receivers on issues facing the health care response to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive events (CBRNE).

To take the training, please visit http://www.cdphhospitaltraining.org/.   More information is available here. 


CARPA Steering Committee meeting

The next CARPA Steering Committee Meeting will be Friday, May 10, 2013 at the CDPH Richmond Laboratory.  Materials for the current and recent meetings are below:


heat wave graphic

CARPA hosted a webinar Tuesday, October 2, 2012 to discuss recommendations for local governments on combined heat and air quality emergencies. Below are some of the webinar materials:

Overview of Combined Heat and Air Quality Events (pdf, 21.8 MB)

Ozone and Heat Chart for Schools (courtesy of Breathe California, Sac Metro AQMD and others)

Electronic bibliography of the public health impact of heat and air quality

California Emergency Management Agency logo

CalEMA has posted their list of Training Opportunities for May 2013. Training and exercise opportunities are offered by a variety of state, local, and federal agencies for emergency response and preparedness.



Emergency Contacts for Major Air Releases in California (pdf)


 This page last reviewed May 17, 2013.

This website provides information about the California Air Response Planning Alliance (CARPA), a network of local, state, and federal air and public health agencies and resources joined together to improve coordinated response to major air releases and emergencies with air quality impacts.  The California Air Resources Board is one of the partners in this Alliance and maintains this CARPA website.

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