Extreme Heat

Heat is the deadliest weather hazard in BC and most homes here have no air conditioning. Heat stroke is a medical emergency — confusion, no sweating and hot skin means call 911 now.

🚨 What should I do right now?✅ Build a checklist

🚨 Happening now⏱️ About 8 min read🔎 Last reviewed 2026-07-31

🟠 What to do now

Most urgent first. You do not have to finish the list to be safer.

Move to the coolest space you can reach — lowest floor, shade, library, mall, community centre.
Drink water steadily; don't wait for thirst.
Wet the skin and get air moving across it. A damp cloth plus a fan is real cooling.
Take a cool shower or foot bath, or put a wet cloth on the neck, armpits and groin.
Close blinds and windows during the day; open up when it's cooler outside than in.
Check on anyone alone, older, unwell, or living outside — twice a day.

What this is

During BC's 2021 heat event, most deaths happened indoors, alone, in homes without cooling. Our buildings are designed to hold heat, not shed it.
Indoor temperature keeps climbing for days during a heat event — the third day is usually the most dangerous, not the first.

Warning signs

Early warning signs

Headache, thirst, tiredness, less urine or dark urine
Indoor temperature staying above 26 °C overnight

Serious warning signs

Heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, fast pulse
Trouble sleeping in the heat for several nights

Immediate danger signs

Confusion, slurred speech, fainting, hot skin, no sweating, seizure — call 911

Where official alerts come from

ECCC heat warnings
BC heat alert and response system
Island Health advisories

Prepare ahead — by the time you have

I have 5 minutes

Fill bottles and put some in the freezer.
Note the nearest cooling space and its hours.

I have 1 hour

Set up a fan and a spray bottle.
Ask your pharmacist whether any of your medications reduce heat tolerance.

I have 1 day

Cover sun-facing windows with blinds, foil or blankets.
Agree who checks on whom.
Plan meals that need no cooking.

Long-term improvement

Consider a portable AC or heat-pump for one room.
Add shade outside the window — it works better than blinds inside.

Supplies, in three levels

Start at Level 1. Everything here has a purpose and a cheaper alternative where one is safe.

Level 1 — Essentials

The minimum that makes you safer today.

Water bottles, filled and cooledWhy: Dehydration comes before heat illness.Low-cost option: Refill and freeze reused bottles.
FanWhy: Moving air plus wet skin is the cheapest cooling there is.Low-cost option: Thrift stores; some outreach programs hand out fans.
Spray bottle and damp clothsWhy: Cools the skin directly.Low-cost option: Any clean bottle.

Level 2 — Better prepared

Roughly 72 hours to seven days.

Blackout covering for sun-facing windowsWhy: Stops heat entering in the first place.Low-cost option: Cardboard, foil or an old blanket.
Cooler and ice packsWhy: Protects refrigerated medication and keeps drinks cold.
Electrolyte packetsWhy: Heavy sweating loses salt as well as water.Low-cost option: A pinch of salt and some juice works.

Level 3 — Extended resilience

Longer disruptions, built gradually.

Portable air conditioner or heat pump for one roomWhy: One reliably cool room protects a whole household.
Battery backup for a fanWhy: Heat events and outages often happen together.

Different living situations

No house, car, garage or credit card assumed.

House or apartment

You likely have the most storage. Keep supplies near an exit, not in a locked shed or a deep basement you may not be able to reach.

Single rented room

Think in one tote and one backpack. Under the bed and the back of a closet are your storage. Flat, stackable items beat bulky ones.

Shelter or supportive housing

Ask staff about the building's emergency plan, exits and medication storage. Keep a small personal pouch with ID copies, meds and phone charger on you.

Vehicle

Keep weight low and spread out. Water, warm layers, a light and a phone charger matter most. Never cook or run a heater inside a closed vehicle.

Tent or sleeping outside

Dry beats big. Prioritise waterproofing, warmth off the ground, a light, water and a whistle. Keep the essentials in one bag you can grab and carry.

Workplace or school

A small desk or locker kit — water, a snack, a light, comfortable shoes, meds and a contact card — covers most of what you'd need to get home.

Moving between places

Carry your plan on paper and in your phone. Copies of ID, a contact card and your medication list travel with you; bulk supplies stay with someone you trust.

Accessibility, health and medication

Mobility: keep supplies at waist height and in a bag you can pull or carry. Store a spare cane, walker part or wheelchair repair kit if you rely on one.
Vision: label items with large print or texture tape and keep a torch and spare glasses in a fixed, known spot.
Hearing: turn on text-based emergency alerts, keep a written note card of key needs, and ask someone to text you rather than call.
Cognitive: use a short one-page plan with pictures or few words. Practise the first three steps only.
Medication: keep a written list of names, doses and prescriber. Ask your pharmacy about an emergency supply.
Refrigerated medication: keep a small cooler and ice packs ready, know how long your medication stays usable warm, and ask your pharmacist to confirm.
Powered equipment (oxygen, CPAP, lifts): register with BC Hydro's medical program, keep a charged backup battery, and know the nearest place with power.
Service animals: pack water, food, and a copy of vaccination records; a service animal is allowed with you in reception centres.
Mental health: emergencies make everything louder. Slow down, use the grounding steps, and reach a crisis line at 988 or 1-888-494-3888.
Substance use: never use alone during a disruption. Carry naloxone, and check it hasn't expired.
Limited English or reading: use picture cards, keep translated key phrases, and ask an outreach worker to help write your plan.

Children, seniors and pets

Infants and young children overheat fast and can't tell you — offer fluids often and keep them out of hot rooms and vehicles.
Seniors often don't feel thirsty and may be on medications that raise heat risk. Check in person, not just by phone.
Pets: shade, water, no hot pavement, never a parked car. Panting that won't stop is an emergency.

🚫 Mistakes to avoid

Do not use a fan alone above about 35 °C without also wetting the skin — it can blow hot air onto you.
Do not leave anyone in a vehicle.
Do not assume alcohol or sugary drinks hydrate you; they don't.
Do not exercise or do heavy work during the hottest hours.
Do not ignore confusion — it is the sign that heat has become an emergency.

Recovery afterward

First hour

Keep cooling until symptoms improve, then keep resting in a cool space.

First day

Rehydrate slowly.
Check food that sat in a warm fridge.

First week

Talk to a pharmacist about heat and your medications.
Set up a better cooling plan for the next event.

Longer recovery

Add shade, a fan, or one cooled room before next summer.
Build a check-in list with two people.

☎️ Numbers worth writing down

Fire, police, ambulance: 911 — Life-threatening emergency, fire, or someone not breathing.
HealthLink BC: 811 — Free 24/7 nurse advice when you're not sure it's a 911 situation.
Poison control (BC): 1-800-567-8911 — Swallowed, breathed in, or spilled anything harmful.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988 — Call or text, 24/7, anywhere in Canada.
Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888 — 24/7 local mental-health and emotional support.
BC Hydro outages: 1-888-769-3766 — Report an outage or a downed line (stay 10 m back).
Emergency Info BC: EmergencyInfoBC.gov.bc.ca — Current evacuation alerts and orders.

Personal notes: ______________________________________________

Date last checked: ____________________

Key takeaways

Indoor heat kills more people than outdoor heat. A stuffy upper-floor room is the danger zone.
Drink water before you feel thirsty, and check on anyone alone twice a day during a heat event.
Some medications reduce your ability to cope with heat — ask your pharmacist, it's free.

Step-by-step

Cool the person first. Move to shade or a cooler space, remove extra clothing, wet the skin, and fan. Cool water on the neck, armpits and groin works fastest.
Know the emergency line. Heat exhaustion (heavy sweat, dizziness, nausea) needs rest, water and cooling. Heat stroke (confusion, fainting, hot dry skin) needs 911 immediately.
Cool your space. Close blinds during the day, open up overnight when it drops, and sleep on the lowest, shadiest floor. A wet towel and a fan is a real cooling system.
If you have no cool space. Use libraries, malls, community centres or designated cooling centres during the hottest hours. Bring a water bottle and refill it.
Vehicles and tents. Never sleep in a closed vehicle in heat, and never leave children or pets inside. A tent in full sun becomes dangerous within minutes — move to shade early.

✅ Printable checklist

Refillable water bottles filled and cooled
Fan, spray bottle, damp cloths
Blinds/blankets to block sun on windows
Names of two people to check on daily
Nearest cooling space and its hours
Medication reviewed with a pharmacist for heat risk