A new BC Coroners Service report examining last year’s heat dome calls for greater support for populations at risk during extreme heat situations.
The report also highlights the gap between the issuance of heat signals from Environment Canada and the response of public agencies and the general public.
Temperatures exceeded 40 C for days during the thermal dome, when most of the dead included elderly and vulnerable people living in buildings without air conditioning.
The review, entitled Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in British Columbia in the Summer of 2021, investigated more than 800 deaths reported in the province from June 25 to July 1, 2021.
It was found that 619 are associated with heat. Coroner’s Office data released in November said the deaths of 595 people between June 18 and August 12 were related to the heat.
The heat wave affects some communities in different ways
Dr Jatinder Baidwan, chief medical officer, BC Coroners Service, said some people are at greater risk during extreme heat.
Two-thirds of these heat-related deaths are among people aged 70 and over, while more than 80 percent of the deaths are in three or more chronic disease registries, according to the report.
Fifty-six percent of those killed lived alone, while almost every death – 98 percent – occurred indoors.
“Most of the dead are elderly people with compromised health due to many chronic diseases and who lived alone,” the report said.
Most of the dead were in homes without adequate cooling systems, such as air conditioners or fans, the report added, and “more heirs lived in socially or financially deprived neighborhoods than the general population.”
The report calls for the identification and support of vulnerable groups.
Baidwan said this could include inspections of vulnerable people and the provision of cooling equipment such as fans and air conditioners. The report identifies as a priority a review to be carried out by provincial officials for the issuance of refrigeration equipment as medical equipment by 1 December.
Baidwan noted that if it is not possible to deliver equipment to people’s homes during a heat wave, it may be best to move people to cooling centers.
Baidwan said the public and public agencies may have been slow to grasp the seriousness of the situation.
“Essentially, people didn’t take it as seriously as we might now think we should have taken it,” he said. “It’s all our fault.”
He said the report was “particularly vague” for public agencies because “we are talking about all agencies”.
The report says the number of calls to 911 has doubled at the peak of the heat dome. It says that 54% of heat dome cases were visited by paramedics with an average response time of 10 minutes and 25 seconds.
In 50 cases, paramedics took 30 minutes or more from the time of the call to arrival. Callers to 911 were detained for a long time 17 times. Six callers were told that no ambulance was available at the time of the call.
A warning system is needed
Badivan said better public communications and a warning system could help the public better understand the risks associated with extreme heat.
The report identifies the need for a coordinated heat warning system such as the one announced by the province on Monday.
BC’s planned heat warning and response system will include two categories: heat warnings and extreme heat alarms, Public Security Secretary Mike Farnworth said Monday.
The government is ready to broadcast extreme heat alarms to mobile devices through the national Alert Ready system, which is already used to issue amber warnings and tsunami warnings, forest fires and flood warnings, said Secretary of Public Safety Mike Farnworth.
“There will be a lot more news, a lot more in the media and a lot more communication with local authorities,” Farnworth said Monday.
Baidwan said safety warnings are needed for all British Colombians, but some members of the population will require further intervention. Wider public awareness and training on how to recognize heat concerns are needed, he said, as are health checks.
“How many of us … actually took the time to knock on someone’s door and ask them if they were okay?” said Baiduan. “How many of us have actually realized that a significant hot event is really happening?”
Longer-term planning
The plan also calls for longer-term planning to build homes and communities equipped to cope with warmer weather. Building codes in BC are mainly focused on dealing with cold weather. That needs to change, Baidwan said, and the codes need to reflect the need to tackle heat by promoting passive and active cooling in new and existing homes.
Communities in general should strive to increase green space and shady areas, Baiduan said.
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