SMOKE WOES

To run or not to run

Nynke Adams is training for a 36-kilometre race in September, but the smoke is making that increasingly difficult. “I’m having to take my training runs indoors and onto the treadmill, which just makes it that much harder to stay motivated and on track,” said Adams.

In her four years of living in Calgary, Adams said Wednesday’s smoke was the worst she’d seen.

Calgary Police

At a certain level of poor visibility, Calgary police’s air support unit deems it too dangerous to fly, grounding its helicopters. The decision was made to ground all helicopters on Wednesday, because visibility and health conditions were considered too risky.

“It doesn’t happen very often, in terms of visibility. With the smoke we haven’t been grounded until today. … In the winter time, fog can factor in but in Calgary we don’t have this happen often,” said Sgt. Tanya Paziuk of the air support unit.

WinSport

Places such as WinSport run youth camps that include many outdoor activities, including mountain biking. WinSport moved all camps indoors for the day because of the potential health risks associated with the smoke. “We have such a great campus on site that there are so many options for kids to do, so we try to tailor the activities to what they are learning,” said WinSport spokesman Dale Oviatt.

“So mountain biking, for example, they spend most of their days outdoors but we’ll be moving in to do a ‘Tech Time.’ They’ll get a chance to work on their bikes and learn the mechanics behind biking.” On Wednesday, there were about 700 youth at WinSport participating in the various camps, according to Oviatt.

Calgary Zoo

Employees at the Calgary Zoo handle thick smoke similar to how they handle other types of severe weather. When weather strays from average conditions, animals receive closer monitoring.

“With smoke, in particular today’s, the animals are being watched that much more closely for any signs of stress,” Calgary Zoo spokeswoman Trish Exton-Parder said Wednesday. “Birds, in particular, can be a little more affected by smoke than other animals. So we, for instance, put our flamingos into their indoor area as a precaution.”

With heat also being a concern this week, the animals will be getting extra water and will be able to cool down in the shade, on their cooling pads or with water sprinklers.

City of Calgary

Due to the smoke, the City of Calgary cancelled many events on Wednesday, including mobile and community adventure playgrounds, fit parks, mobile skate parks, Spruce Cliff Zone Up, Ranchlands Park n’ Play and the Nose Hill program.

Not every program is being cancelled, as some are able to move indoors.