"The parking lot at the Settlers Ridge Wave Pool just outside of Pittsburgh is dotted with camping chairs. The people sitting in them are looking up at the sky, as if they’re waiting for a fireworks show to begin. But it’s 8:00 a.m., and this group is here for the ‘visible emissions observer certification and training program.’
“We call it smoke school because it’s easier to say,” says Rogers Rooks, a field instructor for the company that runs certifications across the country as part of a program of the U.S. EPA.
A certified smoke reader needs to be re-certified twice a year. So every 6 months, Rooks hauls an odd-looking blue trailer to the Pittsburgh region for the field test. The trailer has a giant stack in the middle that folds on a hinge. The operator programs it to send different types of smoke into the air for the students to gauge."
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