The fire danger for Thursday and again Sunday, where extreme conditions are already in the forecast, comes as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is set to activate the Kansas Smoke Modeling Tool for the 14th year in early March. The tool is found online at ksfire.org and includes computer models that help landowners and others, including city and county administrators, plan for possible smoke direction and air quality impacts.
About 2.2 million acres are burned across the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma every spring. KDHE says controlled burns help to provide better feeding conditions for cattle, preserve the tallgrass prairie and control invasive plant species, but the burns also cause health issues across several states due to the amount of particulate matter and ozone that are released.
Listed here is the KDHE action plan for people with smoke-related health issues:
*Healthy people should limit or avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.
*Vulnerable people should remain indoors.
*Keep indoor air clean by closing doors and windows and running air conditioners with air filters.
*Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
*Contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath or severe fatigue.
In Lyon County, landowners also have to report the start and end of their grass fires — most conveniently online at lyoncounty911.org. Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell will have more on the county’s burn permit policy on KVOE’s Newsmaker 2 segment at 8:20 am Friday.