The agreement provides funding to enhance community wildfire smoke preparedness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grant Program awarded $854,609 to the State of Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) to enhance community resilience against wildfire smoke hazards. The key activities under this 3-year Project Grant include:

• Deploying low-cost PM2.5 and CO2 sensors at public schools to monitor indoor and outdoor air quality
• Developing air quality systems that integrate data with wildfire smoke forecasts
• Distributing portable air cleaners, air filters, and DIY box fan air cleaners to public schools, preschools, and underserved communities
• Developing a protocol to improve indoor air quality in schools using the monitoring data

UDEQ is collaborating with the University of Utah, Snow College, and the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) as sub-recipients to implement various aspects of the project, including sensor calibration/deployment, data analysis, outreach, and air cleaner distribution. The intended outcomes are increased availability of air monitoring data, reduced occupant exposure to wildfire smoke, and greater awareness and action within impacted communities to mitigate smoke-related health risks.

Specifically, this recipient will enhance communities' resilience to wildfire smoke by 1) deploying indoor/outdoor low-cost PM2.5 and CO2 sensors at public schools 2) developing air quality s, and 3) distributing air cleaners and filters to public schools/preschools and residents in target underserved areas. Using the monitoring data and information on the schools' ventilation system, we will develop guidance for improving indoor air quality at schools. They will also engage communities by developing wildfire smoke preparedness materials and educational modules and organizing community events.activities:the activities include: - deployment of low-cost PM2.5 and CO2 sensors at public school buildings, - air quality s will be developed and integrated with wildfire smoke forecasts, - portable air cleaners, air filters and do-IT-yourself (DIY) box fan air cleaners will be provided to schools and residents in underserved populations. - development of a protocol for improving indoor air quality (IAQ) at schools using project monitoring data. Subrecipient:subawards 1. University of utah for sensor calibration, deployment, and maintenance; data QA and analysis; outreach activities; developing educational materials; developing guidance on improving indoor air quality. 2. Snow college for facilitating connections with school districts in rural utah; sensors deployment/maintenance in target rural communities. 3. Ucair for supporting community engagement efforts; purchasing, distributing, and managing portable air cleaners, filters, and DIY box fan air cleaners; developing informational materials and organizing classroom visits. 4. Dhhs for health education and engagement activities. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: - low-cost PM2.5 and CO2 sensors - development of air quality systems - portable air cleaners - air filters - do-IT-yourself (DIY) box fan air cleaners - improving indoor air quality (IAQ) protocol for schools the expected outcomes include . . . 1. Increase in availability of air monitoring data to inform wildlife smoke management activities 2. Reduction in occupants' exposure to wildfire smoke 3. Increased in awareness and action to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke 4. Increased number of public buildings adopting developed guidance 5. Increase in awareness, capacity, and action to reduce building occupants' exposure to wildfire smoke within highly impacted communities the intended beneficiaries include . . . 1. Public schools and preschools in specific disadvantaged urban and rural communities in utah, including carbon county, garfield county, iron county, sevier county and south sanpete school districts, which serve rural communities in central, southwest and southeast utah. 2. Granite and salt lake city school districts, which serve underserved urban communities on the west side of the SLV (westpointe, rose park, capitol hill, glendale, fairpark, poplar grove, and west valley city).