Clean Air Centers
About Clean Air Centers
This webpage provides best practices for setting up clean air centers. Clean air centers are places where people can go when outdoor air quality is unhealthy. During days with bad air quality, like during active fires, local authorities may advise people to stay indoors or find a clean air center.
A clean air center is a space created to keep levels of smoke and other air pollutants as low as possible. Clean air centers can be air-conditioned buildings like libraries, community and senior centers, schools, and malls. These centers may be especially beneficial for people at greater health risk from the effects of smoke, such as children, older adults, and people with heart disease or breathing problems.
Setting Up A Clean Air Center
Localities decide which facilities can serve as a clean air center and when and how to operate them. Establishing a clean air center is voluntary, and these facilities are not typically regulated by the New York State Department of Health.
Clean Air Center Set Up Checklist
- Identify a climate-controlled space that can be kept closed off from the rest of the building and where doors and windows can remain closed for long periods of time.
- Avoid choosing spaces that contain ovens, exhaust fans, range hoods, wood burning stoves, or a furnace.
- Close all windows and doors in the space to prevent smoke from entering. Do no block off emergency exits.
- While in use as a clean air center, avoid activities that create smoke, dust and particles, or that increase the indoor temperature. Activities to avoid include cooking, using stoves and furnaces, spraying aerosol products such as cleaners or air fresheners, burning candles or incense, vacuuming, excessive movement and/or exercising.
HVACs and Ventilation
- Keep the space temperature controlled by running fans, using window air conditioning units, or running central air conditioning. If window air conditioning units have a fresh air intake option, close it, or turn it off.
- Unless there is an extreme heat event, avoid using portable air conditioning units with a single hose because they can bring in smoke from outside.
- If the building has an HVAC system, mechanical ventilation should be adjusted to recirculate mode. When adjusting the outdoor fresh air intake, ensure that the unit still allows the room to meet the minimum code requirements for outside air.
- If the HVAC system is compatible with MERV 13 high efficiency filters, make sure they are installed correctly and changed regularly. Close off any gaps around air filters to minimize air moving around them instead of through them. A study by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) found that small air gaps (on order of 10 millimeters) can significantly lower the removal efficiency of air filters.
Portable Air Cleaners
- If available, increase indoor air filtration by running a portable air cleaner on its highest setting. Learn more about selecting the right Indoor Air Cleaners. Use this table to select the right air cleaner technology for your space.
- Choose a device that utilizes subtractive technology, like high efficiency particulate air filtration (HEPA) or adsorption media like activated carbon.
- Air cleaners that utilize activated carbon can remove gases, like ozone and nitrogen oxide, from indoor air. HEPA filters remove particles, like wildfire smoke, dust, and pollen from indoor air.
- Air cleaners are rated according to their clean air delivery rate (CADR). CADR is the volume of air per cubic feet of room that an air cleaner can filter in one minute. CADR rating is based on three different sized particles, from largest to smallest, pollen, dust, and tobacco smoke. During a smoke event select a CADR rating for the smallest particle, tobacco smoke.
- Make sure the air cleaner is rated for at least two thirds of the room area in square feet.
- Check that your portable air cleaner does not produce ozone.
- If a portable air cleaner is not available, create a DIY air cleaner with a box fan and Merv 13 air filter.
