Air quality and heat represent challenges in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

Air quality improves at Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean while the heat wave should continue until Wednesday. Several environments must however adapt in order to mitigate the effects of these weather conditions.

At the Villa Chicoutimi, a residence for the elderly, everything is done to ensure that the residents are good.

It’s very difficult, we are looking for shadow corners. We try to drink a lot. But here we are lucky at the villa, they gave us popsiclessaid a resident.

We still have common areas that are air conditioned, so we suggest to people, if they do not have it in their apartments, not to stay too muchsaid Sandra Gauthier, head of care at the residence.

But the warmth of the last days also makes people happy.

Me, I’m going to golf, so I don’t have a problem with thatexpressed a resident.

I like the heat, it takes me from the heatadded another.

Challenges for workers

In some working areas, high temperatures represent a challenge. This is the case for the Saguenay firefighters.

What is important for firefighters of course is hydration since we are in an environment where it is hot. Our clothes are very hot, especially with the humidity that means that at the moment, the guys lose a lot of water. We make sure to have a rolling of our workforce so that it is always ready to answer the call, then answer what we ask themsaid Samuel Villeneuve, chief of operations in the Saguenay fire safety service.

The University Integrated Center for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS) in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is unable to airline all of its facilities. At the Chicoutimi hospital, sectors and operating blocks are prioritized.

Air quality improvement

Air quality has deteriorated in recent days due to forest fires in the west of the country, but the situation is improving.

However, precautions should be taken for people at risk.

We are talking about very young children under the age of 4. It’s not time to get them out until tomorrow. We are talking about people aged 65 and over and we talk about all people who have chronic health problems, especially heart and respiratory problems. It is necessary to restrict exhausting activities outsidesaid Jean-François Betala-Bellinga, doctor specialist in public health at the Ciusss du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.

The air quality index was good to acceptable on the territory on Tuesday afternoon.

At the entrance to the Ashapmushuan wildlife reserve on road 167, the fine particle index was considered bonreaching 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The urban resort which is at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (UQAC) detected an index of fine particles of 20, a level considered as bon.

On the side of Jonquière, the Powell park station detected a level of 29, considered to be acceptable.

According to the MELCCFPan index of 51 and more is considered bad. Between 26 and 50, it is considered to be acceptable, and as a voucher from 1 to 25.