Councils need to consider the potential for heatwaves to impact the community, disrupt services and operations and the community members that use them, impact the health and safety of outdoor workers, and have adverse impacts on the condition of infrastructure. Climate change is causing heatwaves to be longer, hotter and more frequent, increasing associated risks to councils and their communities.
URPS were engaged by the LGA to prepare a Heatwave Guide for Local Government, with information to help councils understand what they can do to help look after their communities, their staff and their assets before, during and after a heatwave. The Guide contains suggestions to support councils to consider heatwaves during planning and operational tasks. Numerous case studies provide examples of what councils are doing around the State.
The development of the guide involved engagement with a range of Councils and key stakeholders (including the SES, Bureau of Meteorology and SA Water) to understand the heatwave related issues they face and the type of guidance they required. The final guide is available here.
List of tasks
- Prepare engagement plan
- Undertake desktop review and prepare background report
- Engage with stakeholders to determine guideline requirements
- Develop draft Heatwave Guide and Implementation Plan
- Test draft documents with selected councils and finalise based on feedback
