Orange County Health Officer reissues local health emergency due to the Airport Fire

(Santa Ana, CA) – The County of Orange (County) Health Officer has reissued the Local Health Emergency Declaration for areas of Orange County (OC) impacted by the Airport Fire. The declaration is reissued to assist the ongoing need for the County in protecting public health and the safety of all OC residents affected by the Airport Fire.

California Health and Safety Code Section 101080 authorizes a local health officer to declare a local health emergency in the health officer’s jurisdiction “affected by a threat to the public health because of an imminent and proximate threat of the introduction of any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease, chemical agent, noncommunicable biologic agent, toxin, or radioactive agent.” The ash and debris generated by the Airport Fire have introduced chemical agent, noncommunicable biologic agent, or toxin and pose a threat to the health of Orange County residents through dust particles, runoff and impact on the drinking water supplies including water wells.

The Local Health Emergency Declaration can be found here https://bit.ly/OC_Health_Officers_Orders.

ABOUT THE OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY

The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is a regional interdisciplinary health jurisdiction and an accredited health department, charged with protecting and promoting individual, family and community health through partnership and coordination of public and private sector resources. Visit www.ochealthinfo.com to learn more about services and resources.

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Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions.

When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.