Kildare's libraries could be used as shelters if a heatwave hits
Questions are being asked about how ready the county is for a heat event
There is concern over whether Kildare is prepared for a heatwave this summer.
And a call has been made for an assessment of just how ready the county is to respond to an adverse hot weather event.
This should include the availability and accessibility of cooling centres or climate shelters, such as community centres, libraries, public buildings and “other sustainably air-conditioned facilities.”
Kildare County Council has been asked how prepared it is for a heatweave event.
The request has come from four councillors - Clane-based independent Pádraig McEvoy, Angela Feeney (Labour) , Tim Durkan (Fine Gael) and Brendan Wyse (Fine Gael).
They want a report covering the adequacy of emergency planning, risk assessment and “use of forecast thresholds or triggers for prolonged high-temperature events”.
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They are also seeking to know how “heatwave scenarios” are integrated into training, exercise and into “inter-agency coordination.”
They say there is a need to clarify roles and responsibilities adn whether heatwaves should be included in the Major Emergency Plan (the coordinated response for dealing with severe incidents that regular emergencies can’t cope with).
The councillors are concerned about the impact a heat event would have on public health, water services and vulnerable people.
They want an assessment of how adequate resources, expertise and operational capacity are.
They say that any action that's needed to strengthen operational readiness, inter-agency coordination, monitoring and evaluation of heat impacts, and public communication of heat-related risks, including targeted communication to vulnerable groups, should be undertaken.