Helpful tips to keep your loved ones and community safe in extreme heat

Heatwaves are dangerous for everyone, but especially our kids and other vulnerable members of our society - older people, people with disabilities or medical conditions, babies and young children, pregnant women and those who can’t keep their houses cool. 

We have compiled some effective, low-cost tips, from trusted sources to help keep you and your family safe during extreme heat and heatwaves. 

Low-cost Tips for Keeping Cool on Hot Days

Here are three top tips for keeping cool on hot days

1. Stay cool inside -  
   • Use fans or air conditioning if possible, 
   • close blinds and curtains, 
   • visit a cooled public environment like a local library or community centre
     
     
2. Plan your day - 
   • avoid being out in the hottest part of the day, 
   • take a hat or umbrella with you for shade and a water bottle to keep hydrated.
     
     
3. Dress down - 
   • wear lightweight, long-sleeved, light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes made from natural fibres, such as cotton or linen
     
     

More low-cost tips for keeping cool

• Keep skin wet with a spray bottle

• Immerse your feet in cool water

• Wear wet clothing

• Use misting fans

• Use ice towels on the neck and check

• Drink cold water regularly

Share #heatsafe tips on social media

• You can download these tiles here or simply share this Facebook post with friends and family 

Keep babies cool in prams with these tips

• Drape a damp muslin cloth over the pram with a clip-on fan to lower the temperature inside by up to 4.7 degrees.
• Make sure the covers are soaked with water but squeezed out so they’re not dripping.
• Regularly monitor infants for signs of overheating.

Share these tips on social media

Remember, if you or someone you know is feeling unwell, contact a GP and in emergency situations call 000 immediately 

Preparing for a Heatwave

• Red Cross: How to prepare for a heatwave guide

• Doctors for the Environment Heat Health fact sheet

• Bureau of Meterology: Heatwave Assessment and Forecast Service for Australia

• Heatwatch: What is the current heat health risk where you live?

Tips for keeping cool and safe

• NSW Health: Beat the Heat guide

• Expert tips on how to look after your baby in a heatwave

Tips that can save you money!

• How do I use air-con efficiently?

• Lower cost ways to keep cool in muggy heat

Checking in on your friends, family and neighbours

One of the most important Red Cross tips for heatwave preparation is to get connected: “Keep in touch with friends, neighbours and relatives, particularly if they're unwell or isolated.”

Because connected communities are more resilient communities, and even having a handful of neighbours looking out for each other makes our immediate communities safer.

• Guide to checking in on your neighbours in a hot summer
  
  
• Sweltering Cities Heatwave Checkin Resources

• When to check in with an older person about hot weather
   

Keeping our kids safe now and in the future

We know that record temperatures and heatwaves are made worse by the burning of coal and gas, and that we need long-term solutions. 

That’s why we'll keep pushing decision makers to support all Australian homes and schools to become climate safe and to take urgent action to reduce climate pollution. It’s a big mission and we need all hands and voices on deck.


Join the Protect What You Love Campaign today!