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From July through September 2024, Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP) Airshed experienced more frequent high and very high Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) hourly ratings than previous quarters – due almost entirely to wildfire smoke (PM_2.5) or summertime smog (O₃) indirectly caused by wildfire smoke.

HAMP recorded 14,869 hours of air monitoring data for calculating the AQHI: 

• 12,085 (81.3%) of the hours were low-risk AQHI. 
• 1,798 (12.1%) of the hours were moderate-risk AQHI.
• 986 (6.6%) of the hours were high or very high-risk AQHI.

There were 46 fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exceedances of the 1-hr Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQOs) and 107 exceedances of the 24-hour objectives in the third quarter. 617 of the 1-hour exceedances were due to wildfire smoke and only one was from a local source, far surpassing the number of 1-hour PM_2.5  exceedances recorded in the first and second quarters. 

In response to these conditions, air quality advisories were issued May 11 – 13, July 10 – 25, Aug 6 – 16 and Sept 7 – 8.

Three-Year AQHI Rating Comparison in Third Quarters: 

Note: New in 2024, Alberta implemented a revised AQHI to provide earlier health risk warnings to Albertans during exceptional or rapidly changing wildfire events. Due to this change, an increased number of high and very high AQHI ratings is likely during air quality events compared to previous years, some of which the source may be undetermined.

For more details: July to September 2024 air monitoring report.

Starting October 9, we are launching our 2024 Fresh Air Experience Photo Contest to raise awareness about air quality and our work at Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP). The contest will run from October 9 – 31, 2024.

Three prizes will be awarded:

• First Prize – $100 Amazon gift card
• Second Prize – $70 Amazon gift card
• Third Prize – $50 Amazon gift card

How to Participate:

1. Be creative: Get outside and show us where you adventured. You can be on a hike, on a walk, at a park, in your backyard, or at any outside location in the HAMP Airshed.

2. Capture the moment: Remember to take clear photos, capture the environment, and show us your clean, fresh air moments. Photographs can include more than one person or just the outdoors at the location.

3. Follow us and like our page: You can Follow us and like our page on @heartlandmonitoringpartnership (Instagram) or @Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (Facebook).

4. Post your photo: Post photos to Instagram or Facebook between October 9 and 31, 2024. Entries can be submitted until 11:59 P.M. MST. You can enter the contest as often as you like from October 9 – 31, 2024. Use the hashtag #freshairexperience and tag @heartlandmonitoringpartnership (Instagram) or  @Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (Facebook). Ensure your profile is public so we can see your entry. 

5. Tag your location: Include or tag the location where the photo was taken and ensure it is in the HAMP Airshed. You can view the HAMP Airshed Area here https://www.heartlandairmonitoring.org/about-us/organization/.

6. Spread the word: Invite family, friends and followers to participate by sharing this post. 

**Please note the following: 

• HAMP takes no responsibility for uploading photographs.
  
  
• By participating in the Fresh Air Experience contest, all entrants consent to the use of their winning photograph, name, and general location (where the photo was taken) on all or any of the HAMP communications channels without further review or compensation. 

• Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership reserves the right to use all submitted photos for promotional and publication purposes.

• Contest winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:
  • Have a reasonable quality, creativity and relevance to the theme
  • Have a natural look (no use of software or other tools to improve the photograph)
  • Be of a photo being able to prove you were enjoying the ‘fresh air experience’
  • Be taken within an outdoor location in the HAMP Airshed
  • Have tagged Fresh Air Experience and included #freshairexperience in their post
  
  
• All contest winners under 18 may be required to show proof of age. If they are not 18 years of age or older, their parent or guardian must accept the prize.