HOW TO BEAT THE HEAT

Stay safe this summer with these expert tips on keeping cool

- Lisa Bendall

LAST JUNE, SWELTERING hot weather made life miserable for people across British Columbia. The week-long "heat dome" was so named because high atmospheric pressure trapped stifling air in place. It contributed to at least 595 deaths and possibly as many as 740. Climate change makes extreme events like this more likely in communities across Canada; in coming years, we can expect to suffer through hotter, longer and more frequent heat waves.

And they're dangerous. Older people, who may have poor circulation or underlying medical conditions, are at higher risk of overheating quickly. So are babies and small children, who don't sweat as much as adults. Other at-risk populations include those experiencing homelessness, addictions or mental illness.

But even healthy younger adults can run into problems, particularly if they work or exercise outdoors or don't have air conditioning at home. A full 30 per cent of the heat dome-related deaths last year were in people under 70. "My apartment in Vancouver was incredibly hot," recalls Sarah Henderson, a 46-year-old scientific director of environmental health services at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. "I slept on my balcony. People were sleeping in the parking lot of my building!"

Our country's annual temperatures are rising two to three times faster than the world average, yet we Canadians still seem more accustomed to harsh wintry conditions than to extreme heat. These six strategies will help you safely prepare for summer weather.

1. Plan Ahead