As more extreme heat approaches, B.C. health minister vows 'all hands on deck'

The province insisted Wednesday it's ready for this week's extreme temperatures, with more emergency department staffing, funding for cooling centres and transportation, and tips on staying cool indoors.

As this summer's third heat wave approaches this week, the minister of health said his government has learned lessons from June's record-shattering heat dome, which left at least 570 British Columbians dead in a matter of days, many of them seniors living alone.

But while promising an "all hands on deck" approach, Adrian Dix said it also falls to individual British Columbians to check on neighbours and loved ones of whom health authorities may not be aware, and ensure they can be in a cooler place.

"All our health services and health authorities are fully prepared to help anyone who may experience heat or smoke- related challenges," Dix told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

"We have all hands on deck to get British Columbians through the heat."

The Health Ministry is urging those in areas where heat and warnings of smoky skies have been posted to take steps to keep cool and stay safe as many parts of the province continue to experience poor air quality due to wildfires.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a press conference that people need to be ready to spot heat-related symptoms in others, especially seniors and those with chronic health issues who may not realize they are suffering.

"We know these anticipated temperatures can cause negative health outcomes," Henry told reporters Wednesday. "Identify people who may be more susceptible in your circle ... . If you identify signs of illness, move people to a cooler indoor or shaded space and provide water.

"Indoor temperatures getting up so high can have a really quick … fatal effect on people whose bodies can't adapt to that heat. Today the emphasis [is] on things you can do to reduce temperatures indoors."

Henry suggested people develop a buddy system to check on more vulnerable people living alone, especially when temperatures rise later in the evening and early the next day. She said if anyone has severe heat-related symptoms, call 911, get to a cooler place immediately, and drink water.

Fans could make things worse

She warned that for the many residents who lack air conditioning, fans can be ineffective or even more dangerous at extreme indoor temperatures because they can cause dehydration.

She said instead, it's important to either apply a cool, wet cloth to one's skin in front of a fan, take a cool or tepid shower or bath, and freeze towels to put on one's neck. At night, if temperatures remain high, she suggested dampening a bed sheet or even sleeping in an underground space, a friend's cooler home, or outdoors if safe to do so.

"Like the last heat events we have had, municipalities across the Lower Mainland and the Interior ... will have cooling spaces open and available to people, and help to access them," Henry said.

During the heat dome in late June, many of those who died lived alone and were not able to get to a cooling shelter, library or mall as suggested by authorities, according to the B.C. Coroners Service. And paramedics raised alarms after long delays responding to 911 calls for help, and having to wait hours for patients to be admitted to hospitals.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Wednesday that there will not only be increased funding for municipalities to open more cooling centres or extend their hours if needed, but also for transporting vulnerable people to those centres if they are unable to get their alone. Staffing across the emergency response system is being boosted in preparation for the weekend.

The health ministry says B.C. Emergency Health Services staff are being redeployed where they're needed and HealthLink B.C. is readying staff for increased call volumes.

Environment Canada has issued a series of warnings about hot temperatures lasting until Sunday in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, eastern Vancouver Island, inland sections of the central and north coasts and parts of the Interior.

The weather agency says a strong ridge of high pressure is expected to reach maximum strength and bring very hot temperatures on Thursday and Friday.

It's forecasting daytime temperatures in the mid-to-high 30s in the Fraser Canyon, an area that's been hard hit by wildfires, while Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley could see highs ranging from 34 to 38 C.

It calculates the humidex could make temperatures feel more like the low 40s in those areas.

Special weather statements for heat as well as air quality due to wildfire smoke stretch across the southern Interior from the South Thompson to the Kootenays.

Here is a map of cooling centres in the Lower Mainland this week: