ASHRAE Journal - March 2021 - 43

COLUMN IEQ APPLICATIONS

Test the Smoke Readiness Plan Before Wildﬁre Season
When the Smoke Readiness Plan is prepared and before
the start of wildﬁre season, the planning framework suggests testing the HVAC system with the additional ﬁltration and adjusted ﬂow settings. Several non-functioning
items may exist that will take more time to ﬁx than
emergency conditions allow. This test run, along with the
additional preparations outlined in the planning framework, should facilitate implementation of the Smoke
Readiness Plan when smoke occurs. For optimal results,
this framework suggests monitoring the effectiveness of
the plan over the course of the smoke event. At the end of
the wildﬁre season, any adjustments and lessons learned
should be incorporated into the Smoke Readiness Plan
to be better prepared for future smoke events. The full
guideline will build upon this planning framework, further ﬂeshing out topics like design, installation and commissioning of the components of a smoke-ready building
and system performance testing.

Acknowledgments
The planning framework was prepared and reviewed
by a Work Group of the GPC 44P committee including the following people: Tom Javins (Work Group
Chair), University of Montana, Retired; Alison Clune,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Randall
Cooper, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers;
Steven Emmerich, U.S. National Institute of Standards
and Technology; Michael Gallagher, Western Allied
Corporation; Duane Hammond, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health; Dr. Sarah Henderson,
B.C. Center of Disease Control, Canada; Stacey Katz,
EPA; Ann Kosmal, U.S. General Services Administration;
Gregory Nilsson, National Research Council Canada;
Gail Robarge, EPA; Emily Gibb Snyder, Ph.D., EPA;
Rebecca J. Schmidt, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
School of Medicine; David Schaaf, AAF Flanders; Kevin
Teichman, Ph.D., EPA, Retired; Amanda J. Wheeler,
Ph.D., Australian Catholic University.

Disclaimer

https://www.nifc.gov/ﬁreInfo/nfn.htm
2. EPA. 2019. " Wildﬁre Smoke: A Guide for Public Health
Ofﬁcials. " U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with California
Air Resources Board, California Ofﬁce of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and U.S. Forest Service. https://tinyurl.com/14kztn7s
3. EPA. 2021. AirNow website. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. https://www.airnow.gov/
4. EPA. 2020. " Smoke Advisories. " U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. https://tinyurl.com/th2ksm8z
5. EPA. 2015. " Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution. " U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. https://tinyurl.com/y4dmkxnz
6. LBNL. 2020. " Low-Cost Home Air Quality Monitors Prove
Useful for Wildﬁre Smoke. " Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
https://tinyurl.com/y2tapla3
7. CARB. 2020. " Hazardous Ozone-Generating Air Puriﬁers. "
California Air Resources Board. https://tinyurl.com/y4aldpde
8. EPA. 2018. " Residential Air Cleaners: A Technical Summary. "
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://tinyurl.com/52qctoyr
9. EPA. 2020. " Wildﬁres and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). " U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. https://tinyurl.com/5yaxs6kr
10. ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force. 2021. " Building
Readiness. " ASHRAE. https://tinyurl.com/1mlbnl47
11. AHAM. 2019. " Find a Certiﬁed Room Air
Cleaner. " Association of Home Appliance
Manufacturers. https://tinyurl.com/y5hfahlf
12. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. 2020. " DIY https://bit.ly/3o6Pw0R
Rate this Column
Air Filter. " https://tinyurl.com/y4do38zu

Standard 62.2 User's Manual
(Based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2019, Ventilation
and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings)

Updated to align with the
2019 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 62.2, this user's manual
provides sample calculations, best
practices, and additional guidance
for professionals concerned with
ventilation and indoor air quality
in residences.

The views expressed in this article are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the views or
policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

References

$76 (ASHRAE Member $57)
www.ashrae.org/622UM

1. U.S. National Interagency Fire Center. 2021. " Fire Info. "
MARCH 2021

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ASHRAE JOURNAL

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ASHRAE Journal - March 2021

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