The City of Delta will have a plan in place to help the vulnerable should another heat dome hit the region this summer.
Council on Monday approved a staff recommendation to have designated municipal facilities in North Delta, Tsawwassen and Ladner identified as 24/7 cooling centres during Level 2 BC Heat Alert Response events.
A plan will include using Delta's seniors' buses to transport people to and from cooling centres and having a 24-hour information phone line about centre locations, transportation options and resources for dealing with the heat.
The city will also look at options to accommodate pets during extreme heat events as well as assess the feasibility of installing temporary misting stations or portable water stations at key locations throughout Delta.
The cooling centres will be in addition to municipal facilities that are equipped with air conditioning that will be available for people seeking respite from the heat, but those facilities will just be open during normal operating hours.
The city will also work with community partners serving vulnerable seniors and the homeless in Delta to develop a plan to support and check in with those groups during extreme heat events.
Staff will also develop a communications plan to promote Delta's Beat the Heat strategy.
Also to make funding applications for mapping, assessment and planning, the city will submit a resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities asking the provincial government to recognize extreme heat events as public health emergencies.
A report to council notes the BC Coroners Service attributes 526 deaths in the province to the heat dome event last summer. Most of the deaths were elderly people living alone at home.
Delta Fire and Emergency Services reported 15 incidents of likely heat-related medical symptoms between June 26 and July 3, 2021, with 17 confirmed incidents of heat-related effects and seven deaths, although those deaths were not verified to be a result of the heat.
