Heat warning guidance

The Province has not declared an extreme heat emergency for this region.

With elevated temperatures, the risk of heat-related illness increases.

The BC Centre of Disease Control provides a broad range of heat-related guidance on its website, including information on the different types of heat alerts, how to prepare for hot temperatures, symptoms of heat-related illnesses, those most at risk during hot weather and ways to stay cool. 

Preparing for and responding to hot weather

• If you have air conditioning at home, make sure it is in good working order.
• If you do not have air conditioning at home:
  
  • Find somewhere you can cool off on hot days. Consider places in your community to spend time indoors such as libraries, community centres, movie theatres or malls. Also, as temperatures may be hotter inside than outside, consider outdoor spaces with lots of shade and running water.
  • Close windows, curtains and blinds during the heat of the day to block the sun and prevent hotter outdoor air from coming inside. Open doors and windows when it is cooler outside to move that cooler air indoors.
  • Do not rely on fans as your primary means of cooling. Fans can be used to draw cooler late-evening, overnight and early-morning air indoors.
  • Keep track of temperatures in your home using a thermostat or thermometer. Health risks due to heat can increase at indoor temperatures of 26°C and higher, and sustained indoor temperatures over 31°C can be unsafe.
  • If your home gets very hot, consider staying with a friend or relative who has air conditioning if possible.
• Identify people who may be at high risk for heat-related illness. If possible, help them prepare for heat and plan to check in on them.

Who is most at risk?

It is important to monitor yourself, family members, neighbours and friends during hot weather. Consider developing a check-in system for those who are at high risk of heat-related illness.

Everyone is at risk of heat-related illness, but hot temperatures can be especially dangerous for:

• older adults
• people who live alone
• people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression or anxiety
• people with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or respiratory disease
• people with substance use disorders
• people with limited mobility or disabilities
• people who are marginally housed
• people who work in hot environments
• people who are pregnant
• infants and young children

Your health:

• Stay in cool spaces as much as possible.
• Drink plenty of water and other non-alcoholic liquids to stay hydrated, even if you are not thirsty.
• Spray your body with water, wear a damp shirt, take a cool shower or bath or sit with part of your body in water to cool down.
• Take it easy and avoid strenuous activities, especially during the hottest hours of the day.
• When outside, stay in the shade and use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
• Take immediate action to cool down if you are overheating. Signs of overheating include feeling unwell, headache and dizziness. Overheating can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
• Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, severe headache, muscle cramps, extreme thirst and dark urine. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should seek a cooler environment, drink plenty of water, rest, use water to cool your body and monitor your symptoms.
• Signs of heat stroke include loss of consciousness, disorientation, confusion, high body temperature, severe nausea or vomiting and very dark urine or no urine. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. If you find someone who displays symptoms of heat stroke, call 911. While waiting for help, cool the person right away by moving them to a cool place, if you can, and applying cold water to large areas of the skin.

Where to get care

In the event of a medical emergency, British Columbians are advised to call 9-1-1. However, it is also important to use these systems responsibly to avoid overwhelming the system. Ahead of the busy summer months, BC Emergency Health Services in partnership with ECOMM, is reminding British Columbians to only dial 9-1-1 for serious or life-threatening injuries.

When to call 9-1-1:

• In general: when there is chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, severe burns, choking, convulsions that are not stopping, a drowning, a severe allergic reaction, a head injury, signs of a stroke, a major trauma.
• More specifically related to hot weather: severe headache, confusion, unsteadiness, loss of thirst, nausea/vomiting, and dark or no urine are signs of dangerous heat-related illness.

If you have a less urgent health issue:

• You can call HealthLinkBC at 811 and speak with a nurse or go to an urgent care centre or clinic if you can do so safely. That way, our emergency medical dispatch staff and paramedics will be available for people who need their services the most.
• There are also online tools at healthlinkbc.ca, including a “Check Your Symptoms” tool.
• In the Fraser Health region, call Fraser Health Virtual Care at 1-800-314-0999 to speak with a registered nurse from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven-days-a-week.

About the BC Heat Alert and Response System (BC HARS)

• The BC HARS includes two levels of alerts: Heat warning and extreme heat emergency.
• The criteria for the BC HARS are as follows:
  
  • Heat warning:
    
    • Two or more consecutive days in which daytime maximum temperatures are expected to reach or exceed regional temperature thresholds and night-time minimum temperatures are expected to be above regional temperature thresholds.
    • After the first three events of the summer in a given forecast region, the BC HEAT Coordinating Committee (BC HEAT) may recommend extending the minimum number of days for heat warning criteria in that region by a day.
    • A moderate increase in public health risk.
  • Extreme heat emergency:
    
    • Heat warning criteria have been met and daytime maximum temperatures are expected to substantively increase day over day for three or more consecutive days.
    • A very high increase in public health risk.