For Immediate Release
Langley City, BC – Environment Canada has issued another heat warning for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Extreme heat events involve high temperatures and sometimes high humidity. Heat illnesses are preventable, and residents are advised to follow these tips to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Tips to Stay Safe During Extreme Heat
- Plan ahead: Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Find shade at one of the many park trees. Plan activities before 10am and after 4pm. Avoid tiring work or exercise in a hot, humid environment. If you must work or exercise outside, drink two to four glasses of non-alcoholic fluids each hour. Take breaks from the heat in shaded environments.
- Drink water: Stay hydrated with plenty of water and other fluids. Drink water before you are thirsty and avoid things like alcohol and caffeine, which may dehydrate you. All outdoor water foundations and park bathrooms are open from dawn to dusk.
- Keep cool: Take a cool bath, shower, or visit one of the many spray parks open from 8am to 9pm. Register to attend a public swim at Al Anderson Memorial Pool. Misting yourself and your clothing with cool water will help keep you from overheating.
- Find shelter: shopping malls, and Timms Community Centre and the City of Langley Library are air-conditioned and open to the public. Residents who need a break from the heat are encouraged to visit our facility located at 20399 Douglas Crescent.
- Timms Community Centre is open Monday to Friday: 6:00 am - 8:00 pm, Saturdays: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, and is closed Sundays & holidays.
- City of Langley Library hours of operation are Monday to Thursday, from 9 am to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm and closed for statutory holidays.
- Dress for the weather: Wear lightweight, lightly coloured, loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves to protect from the sun. Remember to wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, or use an umbrella for shade.
- Wear sunscreen: Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on exposed skin and an SPF 30 lip balm and reapply as needed. Remember sunscreen will protect you from sunburn but not the heat.
- Check-in: Stay in touch with relatives, friends, neighbours, and people with chronic illnesses who may be more vulnerable to extreme heat.
- Review the following brochures for specific at-risk groups: Seniors: Protecting Yourself from Extreme Heat, Children: Protecting Your Child from Extreme Heat, and Athletes: Protecting Yourself from Extreme Heat
- Never leave people or pets alone in a parked car: Leave animals at home or attend one of the many off-leash dog parks. All dog parks are in full operation with access to water. Temperatures can rise to 52ºC within a matter of minutes. Leaving the car windows slightly open will not keep the inside of the vehicle at a safe temperature. If you see an animal in distress, visit lapsbc.ca.
Keep Your Home Cool
- If you don’t have air-conditioning:
- Take shelter in the coolest room in your home and use a fan. Blowing a fan across a pan of ice water can create a cool breeze. At temperatures above 30ºC, fans alone may not be able to prevent heat-related illness
- Close blinds and shutters during the daytime and open them at night. Open your windows at night to let in cooler air.
- Make meals that don't need to be cooked in an oven.
- If you have an air conditioner with a thermostat, keep it set to the highest setting that is comfortable (somewhere between 22ºC/72ºF and 26ºC/79ºF). This will reduce your energy costs and provide you with needed relief. If you are using a window air conditioner, cool only one room where you can go for heat relief.
Support for Unsheltered Individuals
The Salvation Army Gateway of Hope, located at 5787 Langley Bypass, will be opening its doors as a cooling center. Individuals can access a cool place to receive water, sunscreen, hats and freezies. If the public would like to help, they can provide support by donating items such as sunscreen, hats, bottled water, and Gatorade to the facility.
Heat-related Illness
Home treatment for mild heat exhaustion may include moving to a cooler environment, drinking plenty of cool, non-alcoholic fluids, resting, taking a cool shower or bath, and apply a cool cloth on the skin. Seek medical attention if sweating heavily, pale, cramping, fatigued, dizzy, headaches/nausea, high body temperature, confusion, or unconscious.
Contact a healthcare provider if symptoms are not mild, last longer than one hour, change, worsen, or cause concern. Heath stroke is a medical emergency. If possible, move the person to a cool and shaded environment and apply cool water to the skin until help arrives.
For Medical Attention
Phone 911 for emergencies
Phone 811 for health-related illnesses
Phone 211 for connection to other services
Media Inquiries:
Samantha Paulson, Communications Officer
spaulson@langleycity.ca