SPOKANE — People living near homes damaged by recent fires should consider having their air conditioning systems inspected for contamination, according to a local heating and cooling company offering free evaluations to those impacted by the disaster.
Cline’s Heating and Air is conducting complimentary inspections to check for smoke damage, soot and ash that may have entered homes or equipment. The company is also testing indoor air quality to determine if contamination levels are at an unhealthy level.
“We have a lot of things that are out of our control, but one of the things we can control is the air quality in our homes,” said Harley Porter, who’s been a technician with the company for 16 years.
The initiative comes from company owner Treasure Boston, whose home was badly damaged in a hail storm several years ago. When she saw the recent fires, she wanted to help out.
“We’ve been through a natural disaster before, and it takes a long time, and it takes a full community to pull through and walk through this all together,” Boston said.
The company has also collected gift cards for those impacted by the fires and will donate two trucks to people who lost their vehicles.
According to Cline’s Heating and Air, when it comes to indoor air quality, how far away a home is from ones that burned down may not matter. The company says air quality has in some cases been worse in homes that were further away versus ones that were right next door.
If the air quality in a house ends up being poor, the company can help address it, or homeowners can have someone else fix it.
Even if people don’t get an inspection, Porter says there are still things they can do to improve the air quality in their homes. He recommends getting an air purifier and changing air filters regularly.
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