BFHS Soccer game canceled today; tomorrow's soccer and football games' status being evaluated

August 27, 2015

Conrad Garner, Bonners Ferry High School Dean of Students and Athletic Director, has announced that the BFHS Boys' soccer game, scheduled for today at Lakeland, has been canceled due to poor air quality related to smoke from regional forest wildfires.  In a later statement, he also announced the cancellation of today's BFHS JV football game, which had been scheduled for play at Priest River. Tomorrow's soccer games, which include the BFHS Girls' game scheduled to be played in Bonners Ferry against St. Maries, and the Boys' game at Orofino are being evaluated closely and are also at risk of being canceled. Tomorrow's BFHS home football game vs Priest River, scheduled to be played tomorrow evening, is also being evaluated and could potentially be cancelled. NewsBF is continuing to monitor these scheduled BFHS sports activities, and will publish notifications as soon as we receive word of the status of those games that are still being evaluated. Air quality in our area and in the entire Inland Northwest area remains smoky and potentially harmful. According to the real-time air monitoring data for the Bonners Ferry area, operated by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the Air Quality Index Value stands at 161 as of 9:00 a.m. this morning, which is in the "Unhealthy" range. This index measures the very small particles in the air, which are the most dangerous of the particles that might affect a person's lungs. Index values of 101 to 150 signal that members of sensitive groups (such as those with lung diseases) may experience health effects from particulates in the air. However, with an Air Quality Index of 151 to 200 (remember our Index today stands at 161) means that everyone may begin to experience health effects, and that those groups who are more sensitive may have more serious health effects. Many outdoor public gatherings throughout the Inland Northwest have been canceled or moved because of the dangerous air quality. Other area schools have either canceled sports practice sessions, or moved them indoors. Sandpoint High School has rescheduled their Friday football game to Saturday, which will be played indoors at the University of Idaho's Kibbie Dome, in an effort to play in a better air quality environment.