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Home My Public Portal About10) 7.H. Adoption of Resolution No. 13-4950 Approving a Cooling Center PolicyAGENDA ITEM 7.H. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT DATE: TO: FROM: MEMORANDUM November 5, 2013 The Honorable City Council Jose E. Pulido, City Manager 1~; Via: Mark Persico, AICP, Comr:nunity Development Director By: Bryan Ariizumi, Public Safety Supervisor Jonathan Aceves, Community Preservation Officer SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION NO. 13-4950, APPROVING A COOLING CENTER ACTIVATION POLICY RECOMMENDATION: The City Council is requested to adopt Resolution No. 13-4950 (Attachment "A"), approvi ng a Cooling Center Activation Policy for the City. BACKGROUND: 1. During the summers of 2012 and 2013 , concerned for t he health & safety of the residents, staff opened cooling centers (i.e., air conditioned room with access to wireless internet and DVD movies) at the Council Chambers and Live Oak Park Community Center for a combined six days to provide residents with temporary relief from extreme heat temperatures . 2. In July 2013, staff recognized that a policy was needed to guide the operati ons of the City's cooling center (i.e., direction to staff as to when to when to activate the cooling center, where to designate, how to notify the community, and for how long to operate). ANALYSIS: The California Office of Emergency Serv i ces (Cal OES) recognizes extreme heat as a public health concern. Typical summer temperatures in California result in 20 deaths on average per year. To address this potential disaster, the City activates its cooling center when temperatures reach 1 00°F. Currently the City's criteria to activate a cooling center are unwritten and community members are unaware when a cooling center will be City Council November 5, 2013 Page 2 of 3 opened. Staff conducted research on nearby municipalities to determine cooling center activation best practice. Staff discovered that there are 89 operational cooling centers within Los Angeles County. These cooling centers become activated when air- temperatures or heat index reach certain thresholds (e.g., 1 OOoF air-temperature, 1 05°F heat index). Although Cal OES does not require municipalities to establish policies (e.g., cooling center policy) to address extreme heat, staff has drafted a cooling center activation policy to provide standards on cooling center activation. Proposed Policy Staff is proposing a policy which utilizes a two-tier system that will provide thresholds for both air-temperature and heat index ratings that will initiate the activation of the City's cooling center. Under the first tier, the cooling center will be activated when the National Weather Services (NWS) issues an Excessive Heat Warning. An Excessive Heat Warning is issued when the Heat Index is at least 105°F for more than three hours per day for two consecutive days. Upon receiving notification of an Excessive Heat Warning, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will disseminate the information to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). OEM will notify the local agencies through the Disaster Management Area Coordinators (DMACs). Under the second tier, the City's cooling center will be activated when air-temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 100°F for two consecutive days. Public safety staff will monitor weather conditions and excessive heat warnings from DMACs to determine when activation of the cooling center is required. Also, public safety staff will provide supplies (i.e., water) and notifications. Community notifications will be made through a combination of, or all of the following communication means including but not limited to: web postings; media releases; social media updates; mass notifications; and displays on electronic messaging boards. The proposed policy designates the Live Oak Park Community Center as its cooling center. This location serves best as its normal operating hours (i.e., 8:00a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days week) allow for greater access by the community in the event that the cooling center is activated. In addition, this location is ideal because increased staff levels are not required to operate the cooling center, it is a well recognized facility amongst residents, and is easily accessible through the City's Dial-A-Ride service. CONCLUSION: Heat related emergencies can develop with exposure to prolonged air-temperatures of 100°F or heat index of 105°F. Consistent with City Council's goal for the community's City Council November 5, 2013 Page 3 of 3 health & safety, staff is recommending that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 13- 4950, approving the Cooling Center Activation Policy. FISCAL IMPACT: This item does not have an impact on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-14 City Budget. The cooling center will be staffed with recreation staff on their regularly assigned shifts. ATTACHMENT: A. Resolution No. 13-4950 City of Temple City COOLING CEN TER ACTIVATION POLICY PURPOSE: City facilities w ill be utilized as cooling centers to provide the public with relief from the extreme heat. City facilities are always open to the public during regu lar business hours and during periods of high temperatures, the City may extend the hours. CRITERIA FOR ACTIVATION OF COOLING CENTER: The cooling center w ill be activated when the National Weather Services (NWS) issues an Excessive Heat Warning. An Excessive Heat Warning is issued whe n the Heat Index is at least 105°F for more than three hours per day for two consecutive days. The Heat Index is a measure of how hot it really feels whe n relative humidity is factored in w ith the actual air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is 95°F and the relative humidity is 65%, the Heat Index is l19°F. For more informat ion see the Heat Index Chart on page two. Upon receiving notification of an Excessive Heat Warning, the Los Ange les County Department of Public Health will disseminate the information to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). OEM w ill notify the local agencies through the Disaster Management Area Coordinators (DMACs). The City's cool ing center w ill also be activated w hen temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 100°F for t wo consecutive days. FACILITIES DESIGNATED AS COOLING CENTER: Live Oak Park Community Center, 10144 Bogue Street HOURS OF OPERATION: Sunday through Saturday, 8:00a.m. to 10:00 p.m. COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION: Community notifications w ill be coordinated by public safety staff and be made through a combination of, or all of the followi ng communication means including but not limited to: web postings, media releases, social media updates, mass notifications and displays on electronic messaging boards. 9701 L A S TU NAS DRIVE, TE MP LE C IT Y, CA 9 1 7 8 0 T: 626 .285.2171 F: 626 .285.8 1 92 WWW.TEMP L ECITY .U S CITY OF TEMPLE CIT Y COOLING CENTER ACTIVATION POLICY Air Temp (o F) 122° 119° 11 6° 113° 110° 107 ° 104° 101 ° 98o 95° 92o 89o 86° 83° 80° 770 The Heat Index Relative Humidity(%) 0 5 110 15 20 25 30 35 40 . 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 1 94 96 92 94 97 98 89 91 93 94 85 I 87 88 90 91 92 93 95 85 85 87 89 90 82 83 84 86 87 88 79 l ao 82 85 76 77 78 79 82 82 1 73 174 75 176 77 I n 78 78 79 I 71 171 I n 173 74 74 75 75 76 Ex posure to full sunshine can increase Heat Inde x values by up to 15• F. Jl Category I Possible heat disorders for people in high risk groups ---_ __, __ ,._ __ . __ .,...___. ---------- Extreme Dan er Heatstroke risk extremely high with continued exposure. 85 90 95 , Heatstroke possible Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity . 100 P A G E 20 F 2 RE V ISED : 1 0/20 13