Fire & Smoke Management

Air Monitoring Particulate Data
Air Quality Conditions Web Cam
Health Effect Categories
Breakpoint & Associated Visibility
Visibility Ranges
State & Federal AQ Standards
Open Burning Information
Prescribed Burning
Other Interesting Fire Links

Check Today's Air Quality Conditions

Forest Fire Smoke Report
From State Medical Officer Steven D. Helgerson, MD, MPH Pertinent information on acute and long-term effects from smoke exposure.
Montana Dept. of Public Health
& Human Services News Release on the health impacts of wildfire smoke.
Wildfire Smoke - A Guide for Public Health Officials
Previous Updates
2006 | 2005
Open Burning Rules
77- 5-103(3)
76-13-102(7)
76-13-109
These rules (MCA) apply to all activities on all classified forest land within Montana during the legal fire season, included any extension there of.
Air Resources Management Bureau
Permitting & Compliance Division
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Smoke Management in Montana


Visibility Ranges Used to Determine
Health Effect Categories
Visibility Range Health Effect Category
13.4 miles and up Good
13.3 miles to 8.8 miles Moderate
8.7 miles to 5.1 miles Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups
5.0 to 2.2 miles Unhealthy
2.1 to 1.3 miles Very Unhealthy
less than 1.3 miles Hazardous

The procedure for making personal observation to determine the forest fire smoke index value for local areas without National Weather Station (NWS) or Department of  Environmental Quality (DEQ) monitors is:

  1. Face away from the sun.
  2. Determine the limit of your visible range by looking for targets
    at known distances (miles).
  3. Visible range is that point at which even high contrast objects
    totally disappear.
  4. Use the values above to determine the local forest fire smoke
    category.