Fool In The Rain

Don't let rain, cold fool you – it's wildfire season, so protect yourself from ...

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Department of Ecology News Release - April 20, 2011

11-113

Don’t let rain, cold fool you – it’s wildfire season, so protect yourself from breathing unhealthy smoke from fires

OLYMPIA – Still raining? Check.

Cold outside? You bet.

Wildfire season? Yes. You may find it hard to believe, but Washington’s

The six-month stretch from April 15 to October 15 is considered to be DNR news release provides facts about wildfires in Washington and how DNR

Wildfires destroy property, harm the environment and endanger people. And

That smoke – lots of it – can harm people who breathe them. Fine particles in

Outdoor residential burning of all kinds, which is illegal in most parts of

Instead of burning, you can put yard waste to use by composting it, chipping alternatives to .

The use of burn barrels – which are illegal throughout Washington – often is

In 2010, nine counties and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville

In 2009, a similar program in two counties brought in about 225 illegal burn

DNR and Ecology funded the work with a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Land

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself from wildfire smoke:

Pay . Ecology uses the Washington Air Use common sense. WAQA and AQI may not have immediate information on If you have asthma or other lung disease, follow your doctor’s If you have heart or lung disease, if you are an older adult, or if you Some room air cleaners can help reduce particulate levels indoors, as here . Don’t think that paper “comfort” or “dust masks” are the answer. The If authorities tell you to evacuate an area, leave immediately.

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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, seth.preston@ecy.wa.gov  

Learn more about DNR (http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Pages/default.aspx)

Check out ECOconnect , Ecology’s

Follow Ecology on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ecologywa)

 

Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.

Hell's Belle » Blog Archive » Fool In The Rain

On the face of it, the email gave the impression that leaving early for the day was optional, but the subtext was clear: “It’s Friday folks, and nature has conveniently provided us with the perfect excuse! Now make like a tree, and leave!”

I could barely hear Brandy ’s whisper in my ear for the sound of pounding feet and slamming doors.

“You’d better alert your ride now.”

Ah, yes… I had, hadn’t I? Which explained that sinking feeling the moment I’d spotted the icon: An early dismissal is hardly a cause for celebration for the carless, or that I remembered Mutt ’s mother had just had surgery. The discomfort of waking her up at 2:16 in the afternoon ramped a notch, and for a split second I considered hanging up, but a movement behind me caught my attention and I turned to see Veronica , watching me.

There was no turning back now. Nevertheless, I stuttered slightly.

“Um… um… I’m so ? I kinda need to speak to her. It’s an emergency. She needs to come get me.”

“Well I can’t get up and go get her…”

Her tone had started strong, but I’d noticed a definite fade out at the end there. I’d also caught an unmistakable drag to her speech- There was no telling what drugs this woman was on.

My anxiety level, which had been climbing rapidly throughout the conversation, now reached it’s peak, and I hit the panic button.

“Um, look! Look! back in the dark reaches of my past, I used to be one. In a big way.

And now, after 15 minutes had passed, I accepted the knowledge that she wasn’t coming back. Not this afternoon, anyway.

Maybe she’d laid the handset down, then turned over and gone back to sleep. Maybe she’d actually made it up, and was simply standing there, wondering why. She might have even cruised into the hall, then been distracted by one of her dogs… The TV… Something shiny on the floor…

Who knew?