Climate change-related extreme weather patterns are becoming less predictable throughout the changing seasons, from atmospheric rivers, to fire clouds and heat domes. Northern B.C. has experienced an increase in weather-related emergencies with the 2017 and 2018 record-breaking wildfires and emergency evacuations, and the fatal heat dome in 2021. There is a growing need for northern communities to establish emergency preparedness and response plans for extreme heat events.
As part of our Local Government Leaders Speaker Series, BC Healthy Communities is pleased to present Creating Healthy Public Policy: Equitable Extreme Heat Planning on August 17, 2022 at 11am Pacific. This session, in collaboration with Northern Health Authority and other key decision-makers, looks at the health risks and implications of extreme heat and wildfire smoke, and strategies to mitigate such risks. We will also review the components of an extreme heat emergency response plan. Utilizing a health equity and strengths-based approach, we will look at examples of innovation in the north to ensure that we can meet the unique needs of all when the next heat emergency occurs.
Designed for local governments, regional districts and Indigenous communities, this session aims to help northern communities plan for, and respond to, the next extreme heat event in northern B.C.
Speakers
Jeff Kormos
Advisor, Healthy Settings
Northern Interior Population and Preventive Public Health
Paula Tait
Technical Advisor
Northern Health Office of Health and Resource Development
Abigail Steinberg
Resident Physician
University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health
