The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, introduced the EMS HeatTracker. The online platform maps emergency medical services responses to heat-related illnesses across the U.S., according to an Aug. 9 news release.
“Heat is no longer a silent killer," Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said in the release. "From coast-to-coast, communities are battling to keep people cool, safe and alive due to the growing impacts of the climate crisis."
This tool will aid public health officials and decision-makers in prioritizing interventions and community resilience investments, particularly in the face of increasing heat waves due to the climate crisis, the release reported.
"President Biden is committed to providing communities with the resources they need to stay safe," Becerra added, according to the release. "The EMS HeatTracker is a powerful tool from the Biden-Harris administration that brings actionable information to prioritize outreach and interventions, helping prevent heat-related illnesses and death and build resilience across the nation."
As heat waves become increasingly severe and common across the nation as a result of the climate catastrophe, this technology is being released, the news release said. It is the Biden-Harris administration's most recent effort to give communities the assistance and tools they need to protect themselves from the worsening consequences of excessive heat.
State, regional and municipal government representatives, including city and regional planners, will utilize the EMS HeatTracker to choose where to prioritize heat mitigation measures like street trees, parks and cool roofs, the release reported. In times of excessive heat, it will also be used to assist mayors and public health officials in prioritizing actions like outreach to at-risk groups and cooling facilities.
The dashboard displays heat-related EMS activations at the state and county levels as well as patient characteristics such as age, race, gender and urbanicity, such as urban, suburban, rural and frontier, according to the release. These statistics highlight the groups of people who are most at risk for heat-related illnesses.
The Interagency Working Group on Extreme Heat and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System have been working together to create the EMS HeatTracker, which will also be accessible through the heat.gov portal, the release said. Weekly updates will be made to the dashboard so data is displayed continuously.
