British Columbia Emergency Health Services says they have been busy tending to calls since the heatwave started, and the number is continuing to climb with temperatures over the week.
According to BCEHS, they have received over 1,600 calls from Aug. 11 to 14, with 33 of those calls related to the heat. Emergency health services says this number has surpassed last year’s six heat-related calls, from Aug. 12 to 15, by more than 100 per cent.
Paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites says the key to reducing the amount of heat-related illnesses in the province is through preparation and education which is what BC EHS is providing as the heat warning continues throughout the province.
“We have activated our emergency coordination center and have sent bulletins out to staff advising them of the prolonged period of hot weather for many regions,” he says. “This allows us to monitor rising calls firsthand call volumes in different areas of the province in relation to the heat, or other emergencies.”
When BC EHS activates the emergency co-ordination center it sets a chain of events in motion across British Columbia which Twaites says gives them the ability to prioritize calls making sure urgent calls are triaged accordingly.
“When we activate the center, it puts in a contingency and escalation process called the clinical safety plan,” he says. “It ensures we have the capacity needed to respond appropriately to the urgent, life-threatening calls as a priority.”
Officials across the province have been working diligently to ensure everyone is looked after since the onset of the heat warning. But, Twaites says while the province and municipal governments have installed cooling stations to help combat the heat, recognizing the signs of heat illness before they become life-threatening is key.
“There are a lot of symptoms associated with heat illness, like headaches, nausea, light-headedness, disorientation,” Twaites says. “These are the early symptoms that people should note if they think they are being affected by the heat.
“If people have a question regarding their health, or if they think they’re being affected they can always call 811,” he says. “Of course, if it is an emergency people should still call 911.”
The province of BC is currently under a heat warning which means temperatures during the day have risen as high as 40 degrees in some areas, but overnight they have dropped.
According to the BC Coroners Service BC had a heat dome in 2021 where close to 600 people died from heat between June 25 and July 1.
-Files from Justin Baumgardner, My Coast Now