Lots of us remember the images from earlier this year of New York City, as smoke from wildfires in Canada turned the sky an eerie shade of orange.

Wildfires here in Arizona or in nearby states have similarly had an impact on air quality here, as have other factors, like vehicle emissions and dust, to name a couple.

Pima County is one of a few regions in the country that’s looking to give residents somewhere to go when the air quality gets dangerously bad. It’s working with the EPA to set up air quality centers — like a cooling center when temperatures get too hot, but instead of air conditioning, these would focus more on air filtration.

The feds have developed readiness checklists for regions that are interested in clean air centers, and funding could become available in the next year and a half or so.

The Show spoke with Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Pima County Health Department, about these clean air centers.

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