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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

For information on current emergencies, 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. 


2010 CARPA Summit

Start planning now for the 2013 CARPA Air Emergency Response Summit, scheduled for October 1-2, 2013 in Sacramento, California. We're interested in your ideas!  Please email us at carpa@arb.ca.gov with topics, tools, and workshops you would like to see at this year's Summit!


 CARPA Steering Committee meeting

The next CARPA Steering Committee Meeting will be Friday, May 10, 2013 (location tbd). Materials from 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


Aleutian Volcano as seen from the International Space Station

Our thanks to Bernadette Longo, PhD, RN of the University of Nevada, Reno and Margaret Mangan, PhD from the USGS California Volcano Observatory for presenting at the Volcanic Health Effects and Risk Assessment webinar. We're also grateful to Johanna Fenton of CalEMA for providing background information on the California Volcano Plan. Please see links to their presentations and information below.                                      

  Health Effects presentation (Longo) (pdf, 1.44 Mb)

                                                        California volcano information (Mangan) (pdf, 2.37 Mb)

                                                        Draft California Volcano Plan information (Fenton) (pdf, 977 Kb)

We apologize for the limitation on the number of participants who could log onto the webinar. If you would be interested in having the same webinar given later this year, please email carpa@arb.ca.gov.

California Emergency Management Agency logo

CalEMA has posted their list of Training Opportunities for March 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 March 25, 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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