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It is recommended that service providers have a plan in place should a disaster event occur (for example, a heatwave) to ensure their business continuity plan (BCP) is reviewed and tested with their staff and they are fully aware of their BCP procedures.
The following information provides assistance to service providers who support clients in the community with preparedness activities for heatwaves:
- Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell.
- Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre, or shopping centre.
- Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains, or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home.
- If available, use fans or air-conditioners to keep cool.
For information on staying safe during a heatwave, go to the Queensland Department of Health web page.
There are 5 key messages regarding Heatwave for the community, as follows:
- Have a plan
- Stay hydrated
- Stay out of the sun
- Keep cool
- Check on and look after others.
Additional information
- Maximum temperatures in the high thirties to low forties with minimum temperatures in the mid to high twenties over central Queensland.
- Severe heatwave conditions are expected to ease by the end of the week over central Queensland.
- Severe heatwave conditions have eased over southern Queensland.
- For up-to-date information, see the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website.
Develop and regularly review a disaster plan for your service/site to ensure the safety of staff and clients. This should include:
- Preparation tasks for a cyclone or severe weather event
- Knowing your hazards and risks – i.e. what storm surge zones are you in
- Is the property affected by flooding and, if so, how do you continue to operate services to clients post event as per your Business Continuity Plan?
- Sheltering options during and immediately after an event
- Plans/procedures should an evacuation be ordered
- Ensure staff contact list is up to date
- Testing of your plans to ensure all staff know their roles/processes to be followed should the plan be activated prior to the commencement of the season.
- Consider suitable and safe alternative accommodation arrangements well before an event for clients that may be required to evacuate
- Make prior arrangements to stay at alternative, suitable accommodation in more secure structures and/or beyond storm surge levels
- Know your pet emergency plan
- Ensure clients, staff and the service’s property is secure and safe prior to any disaster event
- Consider your communication strategy – how will you contact staff, clients, and general community? Consider phone, email, website and social media (Facebook, Twitter/X) options
- Ensure you, your staff and clients are self-sufficient for at least 72 hours, including supplies of sufficient food, water and medication with a prepared emergency kit. Consider alternate power generation and ensure you have additional charged power packs for mobile phones
- Monitor developing weather events, and provide staff and clients with correct and current information regarding severe events or cyclones that may affect them or their property.
Heatwave specific resources
- Heatwave warnings (Bureau of Meteorology)
- Extreme Heat and Heatwaves Stakeholder Kit 2023-24 (Queensland Government)
- Hot weather health and safety (Queensland Government)
- Heatwave preparation checklist (Queensland Government)
- Heatwaves asset library (Queensland Government)
For other useful disaster resources, visit our Useful Links page.