California's 2008 Wildfire Season Impresses Need for Safety

California has been filled with smoke as of late. The freak lightning storm on June 25 of this year came with no rain, setting fire to dry grasses and brush in the mountains all over the state.

This has meant round the clock work for an already taxed fire department, renting planes from Canada to drop thousands of gallons of water, and long smoky days for those of us living here.

It seemed the fires were under control, and the skies were blue again. However, a sudden wind shift on the 7th sent a new round of smoke down into the valley, and peppered everything in Chico and the surrounding area in thick ash. Triple digit weather and lack of sunshine are adding to the problem.

The smoke and ash alone are creating health hazards for those outside. If you have asthma or other breathing problems it's even worse.

To keep you safe from the smoke here are some tips:

1. Stay inside as much as possible.

2. Use the air conditioning. This will filter a lot of the smoke and keep you cool.

3. If you must travel use your air conditioning in your car and set it to re-circulate. This will keep air from coming in from the outside.

4. Use a mask when outside if you can.

5. When outside do not exercise.

If you want to exercise try the gym, a treadmill in your home, or power walking in the mall. Exercising outside is worse then just walking outside because it makes you take in more air, thus getting more smoke and ash.

When traveling make sure your car is in good condition so that you don't get stranded.

The fires are here to stay for some time.

"We are just in a holding pattern," one firefighter told me. "Every time we clear one [fire] we find another."

The unfortunate part of all the smoke is that you can't even see where the fires are to make it easier to contain them.

Unfortunately, California is not the only area affected. Winds have blown smoke into parts of Oregon and Nevada as well. Each shift of the wind takes the smoke and ash into a new direction. And with fire fighters coming here from as far away as North Carolina families in every state are being affected.

With new evacuations yesterday in Butte county and the wind picking up yet again, it will be some time before we see the end of this. Be safe, and make the most of it.