Its time to start writing tickets. Lets start counting CITATIONS not violations.

How can we turn in those who are burning during Spare The Air Days?

Found this: You can remain anonymous:

Wood Smoke Complaints: 1-877-4NO-BURN (466-2876)
For complaints about wood burning or woodsmoke, backyard burning (non-cooking fires only), burning of trash, please complete the online wood burning complaint form or call the 24 hour toll-free wood burning complaint line: 1-877-4NO-BURN (1-877-466-2876).

From Russian Ridge on Thursday the 22nd, the air was so clear that I felt almost able to reach out and touch Mt. Diablo. From Windy Hill Christmas Day, I was barely able to see Fremont through the wood smoke. I wish I had photos, because I'm confident that people burning wood will stop once see what they're doing and think about its consequences for everyone's health.

My eyes were burning just walking around midtown this morning. If wood burning is so dangerous, why don't they ban it every day?

too much smoke. thats really true. smoke something else if you have tu smoke. but dont burn anything. radio music is good enough. for excitement.

Hmmm, me freeze to death - or you get to breath easier on a cold day. Which one should I choose?

Yeah, rat on your neighbors for burning a Yule log on Christmas.
Bah Humbug

Freeze to death, indoors in Calif? Sheesh, what an exaggeration. Put on a sweater!

The air pollution people say they've gotten over 2000 complaints about illegal fires so far this month. Fines are $400 each. If you plan to light up, please post your address. I'm sure the government can use your money. Thank you.

Let he among you who does not exhale CO2 cast the first complaint.

Every time I walk on a street with cars I almost lose my cookies from the car fumes. For my sake, we need to ban all cars.

We need to ban wildfires, also.

Rather than banning all fires on certain days, it would make much more sense to ban wood fires all the time and only allow smoke free fuel. This would seem to be a hardship at first, but as people got used to burning the smoke free stuff it would soon become the norm.

London used to have smog problems but back in the 60s they started banning all but smokeless fuels and the air there is no longer a problem.

"but back in the 60s they started banning all but smokeless fuels"

You are right, bikes only then

The scrooges are the people choking their neighbors with smoke during the holidays.

Agreed, ride a bike.

Agreed, ride a bike.

Tell the asthmatic kids in your area that you're too damn selfish to do without your precious real wood fire during the holidays. Belch your poison into the air in the spirit of brotherly love and compassion for your fellow man
Then, after you're done with that...Evolve.

Perhaps you should look to what changes you can make in your own life rather than demanding change of others.

Perhaps you should look to what changes you can make in your own life rather than demanding change of others.

Asthmatic kids. 0.000001% of the population. Have Obama Care buy them bottled oxygen, but don't ask the other 99.999999% to give up anything.

Lets see, the 0.000001% telling the 99.99999% what to do, and who is selfish?

Have A Happy New Year ;)

Unfortunately, the CDC lists the percentage of children with asthma is 9.4%. Outside Observer was off by a factor of 10 million!

Web Link

This is not a minor problem despite people's attempts to make it so.

The point is their are a lot of activities that cause this problem, yet only one is mentioned. That's like trying to stop litter by banning fast-food containers. Let me know how many people are burning wood during summer when we have spare the air days. This should help you to understand there are many sources of pollution. Focusing only on wood burning only illustrates a lack of knowledge or perhaps political will to highlight all sources or solutions.

Scrooge: In summer many people have barbecues and outdoor wood burners.

Yes, there are many sources of pollution. Burning wood is especially damaging to health because there are lots of particulates in the smoke. "A growing body of scientific research shows that microscopic particles of soot can penetrate deep into lungs and cause deadly exacerbations of lung and cardiac illnesses. About 60,000 Americans die annually from illnesses caused by particulates."

“We have measured air pollution inside a house that’s 10 times higher than the allowable federal level when people are burning a fire in their house,” she said. “So they’re putting their family and guests in just as much jeopardy as their neighbors when they’re burning a fire.”

Web Link

Should we just ignore all sources of pollution because we can't cure them all at once? We've got to start somewhere.

Take a deep breath and have a healthy new year.

So perhaps restricting wood burning to wood stoves and fire place inserts that don't have these issues is what you might want to propose. Some people do burn wood for heat, not just aesthetics.

Thank you, Donald - I thought the the figures for asthma were higher. There are also a number of adults whose onset of asthma is post-childhood - & I'm not just talking smokers, either.

I'm glad it rained last night - I hope it clears the air a bit.

It is raining today. Go ahead and light your fires. Please put it out when the rain stops. Your children and your neighbors' children will thank you.

The thing you don't get is 50 to 90% of the air pollution is cars and trucks. Also while we were not allowing wood burning ag burning in neighboring counties was being allowed. Besides being sanctimonious on Palo alto online is not going to bring about compliance. The views on this thread are way too few to have any impact. Both you and I are just wasting our time.

Maybe 90% of air pollution comes from cars during the summer, but definitely not during the winter. Did you read the material on the Spare The Air web site?