Heat Alert and Response System (HARS)
Keeping everyone safe during extreme heat events requires collaboration across public health, emergency management departments, Aboriginal, regional and local governments, and community partners.
Heat Alert and Response Systems (HARS)
Communities across Canada are preparing for extreme heat by developing a Heat Alert and Response
System (HARS) which:
- alerts the public about the risks of heat,
- facilitates the development of a community response to help people at highest risk, and
- provides individuals with information and other resources to help them take protective actions before and during an extreme heat event.
Interior Health can support communities across the region to reduce the impact of extreme heat events and develop a HARS. Specifically, Interior Health can:
- provide heat and health resources for community heat response communications,
- support the development of a HARS, and
- support the engagement of stakeholders in Interior Health in heat response planning and implementation.
Heat Advisories
The purpose of heat advisories issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is to notify regions and communities of increased risk caused by exposure to heat, and precautions to take to keep yourself, and your loved ones healthy during extreme heat events. ECCC and the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) have established alert triggers based on findings from a heat-health analysis, community and region-specific weather conditions. Find the MSC Heat Warning Criteria for your region at the ECCC website.
Resources
Follow Interior Health on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with heat and health communications.
To learn more about how Interior Health can support your community to develop a Heat Alert and Response System (HARS), please contact us at
HBE@interiorhealth.ca