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By Dylana Kneeshaw

HEAT EVENT RESPONSE

Province outlines notification plans for summer heat events; Kamloops readies Voyent! Alert app

Jun 6, 2022 | 4:39 PM

KAMLOOPS — After hundreds of people died during a heat dome last June, the B.C. government says it’ll be giving residents advance notice of temperature swells using the new B.C. Heat Alert Response System.

“After last year’s event it was clear we needed to take a hard look at our response to extreme heat events and ensure that we’ve prepared for more of these events in the future,” Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told a news conference Monday (June 6).

Depending on how hot the weather gets and how long it lasts, Farnworth says the government will either issue heat warnings or declare extreme heat emergencies. Heat emergency notifications would be sent out through phones, and radio and television broadcasts.

“To help people prepare, the province has also created a new extreme heat preparedness guide. Which has guidance to help people prepare themselves, their families and homes for extreme heat. It also includes advice on how to cope and stay safe when temperatures rise.”

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During the heat event last year, B.C.’s ambulance system was run off its feet responding to 9-1-1 calls. To limit wait times, Health Minister Adrian Dix says more paramedics and dispatchers have been hired and additional ambulances have been brought in.

“For instance, staff may be reassigned to support areas experiencing higher call volumes and we may take measures to reduce turnaround time at hospitals.”

For heat waves, fires, floods, train derailments or any other urgent emergency, Kamloops brought in the Voyent! Alert app, which Mayor Ken Christian says will allow the city to send immediate notifications out to users.

“I would encourage residents to download the Voyent! app if they haven’t already and we’re going to have a test of that system at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday (June 8),” adds Christian.

The app will be used in addition to other measures the City enacts each year during prolonged heat, such as opening cooling centres. Christian notes that there’s also a certain level of community thoughtfulness that needs to be part of the response.

“I think we learned a lesson last year. We lost six lives in Kamloops because of heat exposure and I think many of them were in un-air-conditioned apartment buildings and they just were left alone. And what we really need to focus on is wellness checks,” reiterates Christian. “Know your neighbour, know your family members, check on them during periods of extreme heat.”

Extreme heat emergencies such as the heat dome of 2021 are expected once or twice a decade, according to the province. But it’s anticipated heat warnings could be issued as often as two or three times each summer.