PHILADELPHIA—The city of Philadelphia is currently under a Code Red Fine Particles Action Day Alert. This alert means that the air is unhealthy to breathe, and some members of the general public may experience health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Air quality may vary throughout the city and throughout the day, with
some areas having significantly worse quality depending on the prevailing winds.

The Health Department is hopeful that this latest air quality event will end soon, but forecasting air quality due to wildfire smoke is difficult. The City is committed to providing regular updates on the situation and helping staff and residents stay safe.

Due to the short amount of time during the workday that the Code Red will be in effect, we are anticipating only minor impact on City services but are monitoring the situation closely. The City is working with Recreation Centers to ensure that youth programming can be moved indoors if the air quality continues to worsen. Pools will remain open until the air quality worsens to a point where it could be dangerous for all people. The City may update the list of services affected as we continue to monitor the situation. If the air quality does not improve by tomorrow, the City will discuss plans to ensure the safety of our workforce.

Residents are strongly encouraged to take precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones during this Code Red Action Day. Residents should:

  • Consider cancelling outdoor events and gatherings
  • Avoid going outdoors as much as possible
  • Avoid excessive activities outdoors, such as jogging or exercising
  • If you have to go outdoors, wear a high quality mask, like an N-95 or KN-95 mask
  • Avoid areas of high congestion and where air pollution may be high, like main streets or highways, areas with low air circulation
  • Close all windows and doors to minimize air pollution in your home
  • Recirculate the air in your home with fans to avoid bringing more air pollution into your home
  • Pay attention to their bodies; if they are having trouble breathing, feeling nauseous, or dizzy, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Residents who need masks to safely be outside can receive them for free from the City at the following locations:

  • Four of the five Health Department Resource Hubs (locations available in the City’s Resource
    Hubs blog post    ; Mt. Enon is closed this week).
  • Philadelphia Police Districts
  • Philadelphia Fire stations

Residents can receive two masks per person and may retrieve supplies for individuals at home who cannot make it themselves. Masks are adult-sized only.

Residents also advised to keep an eye on the situation and change their behaviors based on the amount of smoke in the air. The Health Department publishes real-time air pollution readings at https://www.phila.gov/aqi.

Residents are furthermore asked to help reduce the amount of pollution in the city by:

  • Avoid unnecessary trips in their cars,
  • Avoid idling,
  • Carpooling when possible, and
  • Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

The Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management will continue to monitor the air quality and provide updates as they become available. For more information, please visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management Twitter account, the Health Department’s Twitter account, and register to receive emergency alerts from via ReadyPhiladelphia by texting READYPHILA to 888-777 or visiting https://www.phila.gov/ready.

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