Philomath’s National Night Out, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, has been canceled due to air quality concerns combined with hot temperatures.
“Due to the current air quality and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our community, tonight’s National Night Out event has been canceled,” the Philomath Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Police Chief Dave Gurski said the decision was made around noon Tuesday after seeing other agencies in the region make the same call.
“There’s been at least three or four more law enforcement agencies around the region that have canceled theirs, pointing at the air quality and then also the heat,” Gurski said, adding that a few of the organizations planning to participate in the Philomath event indicated they were pulling out.
National Night Out occurs annually on the first Tuesday in August and has become a tradition across the country. The nationwide initiative encourages communities to interact with emergency personnel in a relaxed atmosphere while learning about local services and safety resources.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, along with the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and Washington’s Southwest Clean Air Agency, issued an air quality advisory Tuesday because of smoke from multiple wildfires burning in Oregon and Washington. Benton County is among more than two dozen counties included in the advisory, which the agencies say will remain in effect until further notice.
Gurski said the department contacted Safeway in time to cancel an order for roughly 125 sandwiches that were going to be served at the event, so there will be no charge. The department will also receive a credit for the snow-cone equipment rental to use at a future event.
“We were looking forward to spending the evening with everybody and we’re hoping to maybe reschedule that if the air quality improves,” Gurski said. “It’s kind of a hard thing to do, though, since it takes a little bit of planning. … If we can pull it off, we will.”
Smoke from wildfire activity can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen existing medical conditions, with infants, young children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or lung disease considered most at risk. Oregon DEQ recommends staying indoors with windows and doors closed, avoiding strenuous outdoor activity and using HEPA filters or air purifiers where possible.
Residents can monitor current air quality conditions through the Oregon Smoke Information Blog, DEQ’s Air Quality Index at aqi.oregon.gov, or the free OregonAIR smartphone app.
