Smoke School, also known as Opacity Certification, is the formal training necessary to report visible emissions (i.e. smoke) as required by U.S. EPA Method 9 .

ADEQ and Arizona State University (ASU) Environmental Technology Management are collaborating to present Smoke School sessions. Registration is required for all training sessions.

Register at ASU Polytechnic or contact ASU at (480) 727-1825.

This training or a training provided by an independant company must be attended by any person who may work for a regulated source that is required to complete periodic visible emissions observations as a condition of the air quality permit. Facility personnel who control any part of the operation where air pollution is a concern may also want to take the class to help in recognizing potential issues and take action before an exceedance occurs.

The ASU/ADEQ Smoke School is a two-day event comprising two elements:

1. A classroom session, held the morning of the first day starting at 8:30 a.m.; and
2. A field testing session lasting the remainder of the event. During the testing session, participants evaluate several sets of black and white smoke readings.

Those wishing to be certified in Smoke School must attend the classroom session at least once every two years. Field testing is required every six months.