BC is making changes after 619 people died from extreme heat last year. But will it be enough? | CBC News

Jeanne Hansen’s sister, Tracey McKinlay, died as a result of extreme heat on June 28, 2021.

“It’s hard not to feel guilty,” Hansen said.

“We should have done a little more, you know, calling Tracey wasn’t enough.”

She wishes she had gone to her sister’s apartment in New Westminster, BC, to see how she was doing.

Hansen says that according to the coroner, McKinlay’s kidneys were weakened by medications he was taking for mental illness. And when the temperatures rose, she died alone in her apartment.

According to a new report from the BC Coroner’s Service, 619 people died from extreme heat last summer, one of whom was McKinlay, who was 61 years old.

The report released Tuesday calls on the provincial government to offer more support to vulnerable British Columbians the next time extreme heat blankets the province.

This month BC is introducing a heat alert and response system to help residents when temperatures rise. The alerts will be issued through the national Alert Ready system, which is already being used for amber alerts, tsunamis and wildfire warnings.

The province has also created the BC Extreme Heat Prepared Guidewhich offers tips on how to prepare for extreme heat and how to identify safety risks when it comes to hot weather.

But some say those efforts are not enough.

Hansen says an alert would not have helped his sister, who suffered from mental illness; she didn’t have a phone and didn’t pay attention to the news.

“Many of these people don’t have the means to connect to the Internet or call anyone,” he said. “They don’t want to leave their buildings.”

Gabrielle Peters, a disability writer and policy analyst, said there is not enough urgency behind the report or the provincial response, arguing that the problem was not a lack of knowledge about heat risk, but the inability of poor, disabled people and old women to escape. it’s.

“People didn’t die because they didn’t have enough communication materials. People died because they couldn’t escape the heat.”

While the coroner’s report recommends that the Ministry of Health review the possibility of making air conditioners and other cooling devices available to vulnerable people as medical equipment by December 1, 2022, Peters notes that the timetable will be too late if extreme heat hits the province. this summer.

She also said the emphasis on public cooling centers ignores the reality that many disabled people, including herself, can’t easily get to those spaces, particularly during extreme weather events.

“[I’d have to] get in my wheelchair, roll out into the outside heat and poor air quality and find a space of fresh, clean air,” he said.

“That’s an absurd suggestion. It’s like telling someone with a broken leg to get on the bus…and buy some crutches.”

Emergency services

According to the coroner’s report, the number of 911 calls doubled at the peak of the heat dome. It said 54 percent of heat dome-related cases were attended to by paramedics with an average response time of 10 minutes and 25 seconds.

In 50 cases, paramedics took 30 minutes or more from time of call to arrival. People who called 911 were placed on hold for an extended period of time 17 times. Six callers were told that no ambulance was available at the time of their call.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province is hiring more emergency response professionals, including 125 new full-time paramedics and 42 dispatchers, and adding 22 more ambulances.

Troy Clifford, president of the union that represents paramedics and dispatchers in BC, said he appreciates the efforts the province has made to address gaps in emergency response in the province, but he doesn’t think emergency services are ready yet. to respond to another heat event. .

“I’m not sure we have the capacity and staff to respond to another heat dome the way it needs to be.” [responded to],” he said.

He said the biggest challenge is recruiting and retaining paramedics, primarily due to salaries.

“It will take a significant influx of funds and resources to get this up and running.”