A couple of key personal preparedness points:

Keep cool. High indoor temperatures are associated with increased risk. Stay indoors in air-conditioned buildings or take a cool bath or shower. At temperatures above 30 C, fans alone may not be able to prevent heat-related illness. Home treatment for mild heat exhaustion may include:

• moving to a cooler environment;
• drinking plenty of cool, non-alcoholic fluids;
• resting; and
• taking a cool shower or bath.

If symptoms are not mild, last longer than one hour, change, worsen or cause concern, contact a health-care provider.

• To ask about heat-related illness, call HealthLinkBC at 811.
• Visit local health authority websites for more information on safety tips and how to keep cool during high temperatures.

Local Government Resources

Heat Event Response Planning

• Developing a municipal heat response plan: a guide for medium-sized municipalities

Communicating the Health Risks of Extreme Heat Events

• This Toolkit is intended for use by public health and emergency management officials who are developing or updating heat-health communication strategies.
• Includes public communications materials.

Heat Alert and Response Systems to Protect Health: Best Practices Guidebook

•  Health Canada (2012) has developed a best practices guidebook for developing a HARS. The Guidebook helps users take into consideration community-specific vulnerabilities and identify appropriate outreach and response activities

Guidance for community cooling centres in the context of COVID-19

• Note this document was created in August 2020 and has not been updated since that timeframe

Heat Alert and Response System (HARS) webpage including a link to an Interior Health Authority toolkit providing community partners practical information and resources that will assist in developing and implementing heat alert and response systems and strategies to respond to extreme heat, specifically in rural communities.

First Nations and local authorities are encouraged to engage with their regional health authorities and/or First Nations Health Authority, for information and/or guidance on possible health impacts and risk factors specific to the local context.