The smoke during the summers here used to make me excited since maybe band practice would be cancelled but now I dread it every year. Even though wildfires are a necessary part of the ecosystem here in the Sierra Nevada’s it has seemingly gotten much worse these past few years. This current fire named the Dixie fire was supposedly caused by a tree falling into a live power line sparking it. At the second largest fire in California’s history the smoke has filled the sky for hundreds of miles. This causes the air quality to be utterly hazardous to those with underlying conditions and can make a healthy person get a runny nose and teary eyed. Prolonged exposure can cause serious health problems and is not advised at an AQI above 150. Recently the highest we’ve seen is upwards of 319 which means effects of the smoke can be felt almost immediately.
Due to these conditions I called out of work where I work outside and was met with pushback from my manager. I asked him if we have any respirators to protect us from the conditions and he told me to just stay home. This was obviously not what I was hoping to hear since I need to be working and was worried about my fellow employees getting sick from the smoke. After realizing that I would be expected to work in such hazardous conditions I had to quit. I know most people are not in the position to quit jobs and not have income for a few weeks so I feel privileged to be able to stay healthy in these times and not be forced to work somewhere that could be detrimental to my health. This shouldn’t be a problem that workers have to face and yet even in an area where this is common our businesses can’t deal with it properly.

Anonymous Contribution to Our Town Reno, August 2021