Note: This story was updated on July 21 with more information.
Port Coquitlam residents living, walking or playing in or near two local parks will have a new way to cool down during hot weather events.
The city has two new misting stations that will be deployed at Gates Park (2300 Reeve St.) and Aggie Park (3050 Chester St.), to provide some relief during heat emergencies.
They cost $2,000 each, paid for out of the city’s emergency preparedness budget, and are housed at the works yard until they are needed.
Temperatures above 29C and warm nights
These new tools in the city's emergency response effort will be set up in the parks when the province declares a heat warning, issued when two or more consecutive days of daytime maximum temperatures are expected to reach 29°C or warmer and nighttime minimum temperatures are expected to fall to 16°C or warmer.
In a recent news release, PoCo announced the equipment has been purchased to alleviate some of the affects of a "heat island effect," which happens in areas where buildings and paved surfaces combine to trap and amplify heat.
Cooling efforts are important in locations where there are older buildings, high density living and where vulnerable populations live and congregate, according to the city.
These two northside parks are also not close to facilities that have air conditioning for cooling relief, such as the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (PCCC), Terry Fox Library and Hyde Creek Recreation Centre.
As well, both parks have an existing water service that make it easier to establish a misting station.
The new pieces of equipment are made of rugged galvanized steel, stand close to seven feet tall and contain environmentally friendly, easy-push button operations that automatically shut off.
Here's where the misting stations will be located
A map provided to the Tri-City News shows the misting station will be:
- in the parking lot beside the turf field next to Reeve Street in Gates Park
- Beside the baseball diamond in Aggie Park
Each station also has separate water bottle-filling taps to supply cool, clean drinking water, available during the heat warning.
A map on the Port Coquitlam city website that shows locations where people can cool off has also been created, including indoor cooling centres, outdoor pools, misting stations, spray parks and public drinking water fountains/water bottle filling stations.
As well, the city has provided additional information on how to prepare for a heat warning or extreme heat emergency.
"Residents are reminded that during heat waves to please take time to check in with family, friends and neighbours who are vulnerable, especially in the evening when it is hotter indoors than outdoors," PoCo's latest statement reads.
PoCo fire chief Robbert Kipps told the Tri-City News that the new misting stations will be used based on the province's Heat Alert and Response system.
"Based on these provincial alerts, the city will deploy additional measures, including the opening of municipal cooling centre’s and the deployment of misting stations (which can be placed in different locations as required), to provide additional support for citizens impacted by the extreme heat," Kipps stated in an emaiil.
According to the province, extreme heat events, such as the June 21 heat dome, could occur every three to 10 years by 2050.
Read the full HARS report here.
Meanwhile, Canada's weather network says the summer will be hot and dry through to the end of the month.
Port Coquitlam has taken a number of steps since the June 2021 heat emergency that resulted in more than 600 deaths across the province, including updating its Alertable app to notify residents of high temperatures.
The province will declare an extreme heat emergency when temperatures reach 33°C during the day, when the evening mercury is above 18°C and a three-day trend of increasing temperatures is forecast.
