07/17/2026
π¨ URGENT AIR QUALITY UPDATE: BUTLER COUNTY IS NOW UNDER A CODE PURPLE ALERT π¨
The Pennsylvania DEP has upgraded our area to a Code Purple Air Quality Alert due to heavy, concentrated wildfire smoke. A Code Purple means the air has officially reached "Very Unhealthy" levels for everyone.
At the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center, we urge all Butler residents to take immediate health precautions today:
π Everyone: Avoid long, heavy, or intense outdoor exertion. Move all physical activities indoors.
πΌ High-Risk Groups: Children, senior citizens, and anyone with heart or respiratory illnesses (like asthma or COPD) should avoid all outdoor physical activity completely.
π Seal Your Space: Keep all residential windows and doors tightly shut. Set your home HVAC and car AC units to "re-circulate" to avoid pulling in fine particle pollution from the outside.
Please check on your neighbors, especially the elderly or those living alone. You can monitor live, real-time air quality index updates for your zip code directly at airnow.gov. Stay inside and stay safe!