The board of directors at the Bay Area Air District voted Wednesday to lower the criteria to declare Spare the Air alerts. Previous years have averaged 15 Spare the Air alerts, but the air district said the lower threshold could mean more than twice that number of alerts may be called as a result. Advertisement“Cleaner air benefits every Bay Area resident,” said Philip Fine, executive officer of the air district, in a written statement. The new threshold for Spare the Air alerts will help to mitigate the amount of wood smoke from either residential or natural sources. The air district stated the new criteria will facilitate more prescribed burns by alerting the public of air quality issues and prioritizing their health.