Safety Hub

Heatwave Safety

During a heatwave, there is an increased risk of incidents like fire, water rescue and health issues due to the hot weather. Check out our heatwave safety tips to reduce risk and stay safe during the summer.

We're working to get British Sign Language (BSL) videos on to all of our safety pages, and hope to add one to this page soon.

Safety Category: Summer safety , Seasonal safety

When temperatures soar, we all need to keep a cool head when it comes to our safety.

Remember - if you do have an emergency, always call 999.

But there’s lots we can do to avoid emergencies in the first place - from being sensible with barbecues, bonfires and near open water, to carefully disposing of cigarettes and matches.

Please also check in on vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours who might struggle to cope with the heat.

We’ve pulled together our top pages of safety tips for playing it cool when the heat is on.

Here are our top pages for summer safety

Barbecues

Bio ethanol and gel fuel

Bonfires

Camping and caravans

Countryside fire safety

Parks and woodlands

Water safety

Health

There are risks to health during the hot summer months, particularly if someone is vulnerable or elderly. But it can be a risk to anyone.

The main health risks posed by a heatwave are:

dehydration from not drinking enough water
overheating, which can make symptoms worse for people who already have existing heart or breathing problems
heatstroke and heat exhaustion.

Visit the NHS website linked below for further information on keeping yourself, friends and family safe.

NHS - Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather

Other related safety topics

Services we offer related to Heatwave Safety

Hydrant Maintenance

Our hydrant team are responsible for ensuring the hydrants in the West Midlands are operating correctly. If they aren't you need to let us know.

Technical Rescue

Technical Rescue deals with incidents that require additional equipment and training outside the remit of standard firefighting, this can include water rescue, rope rescue, response to terrorist threats and more.

Water rescue personnel in a boat on a river

Safe and Well

Safe and Well visits are an important part of our prevention activity. They enable us to advise and educate on safety at home, with a particular focus on our most vulnerable residents.