Heat Resources
Created 8th December 2023
The NCOSS Heat Resources are information about key supports and services for individuals and communities impacted by heat and heatwaves in NSW. They are for NCOSS Member organisations and other services supporting communities impacted by heat and severe weather events.
Please note that NCOSS is a peak body and cannot directly provide people with direct assistance. For emergency help in a heatwave, contact your GP or health provider.
Jump to section
- HeatWatch app
- NSW Health information & resources
- Bushfire smoke
Information for Community Organisations preparing for Heatwaves
Other resources and information
Heatwave Warnings
- For latest heatwave warnings and information, visit the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website, or call 1300 945 108 (All NSW, pre-recorded messages only).
- The Bureau of Meteorology has a NSW Heatwave Warning webpage.
- Watch a short video to understand Bureau of Meteorology Heatwave Warnings.
Heat & Health
HeatWatch app - The University of Sydney’s Heat and Health Research Incubator in collaboration with community partners have developed the HeatWatch application.
The HeatWatch app enables people in the community to estimate their personalised heat health risk based on their location, age, activity level and clothing. The app also gives you easy cooling strategies, based on science.
The HeatWatch application is free to use via phone, tablet, or desktop.
NSW Health information and resources
- Beat the heat webpage – information on:
- Staying healthy during hot weather
- Who is most at risk from heat-related health problems
- Planning for hot weather
- Symptoms and first aid for heat-related illness
- Heat & Health resources – to share through your networks
- Factsheets - e.g. older people, babies, children, carers and parents
- Posters
- Social media messages
- Downloadable toolkit
- Aboriginal Heat & Health resources
- Follow NSW Health social media channels for Heat & Health messaging:
- NSW Health Translated resources in English, Arabic (العربية), Chinese - Simplified (简体中文), Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文), Croatian (Hrvatski), Filipino (Wikang Tagalog), Greek (Ελληνικά), Italian (Italiano), Macedonian (Mакедонски), Spanish (Español), Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt Nam)
- WA Health translated resources in Bahasa, Dinka, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili
- Vic Health video resources in: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, Greek, Italian, Somali, Turkish, Vietnamese
Bushfire smoke
During heatwaves, there may be danger to health from bushfire smoke.
NSW Health provides information on preparing for bushfire smoke and for people at higher risk from bushfire smoke, including:
- Asthma
- Heart and lung conditions
- Pregnancy
- Infants and young children
- Diabetes
Many local Councils have been provided a stock of P2/N95 respirator masks. Check with your Council to confirm whether they can provide masks for your service.
Posters on ‘Staying healthy if bushfire smoke is about’ are available in the following languages:
Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Croatian, English, Farsi, Filipino, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Macedonian, Nepali, Portuguese, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese
Community Organisations preparing for Heatwaves
NSW Health NGO Summer Preparedness webinar recording (December 2023).
In this session for health and social NGO workers, NSW Health provide guidance on the health risks of heatwave and bushfire this summer and how people and services can prepare.
The recording with transcription is available via Zoom:
Passcode: w36c.@LS
Heat Smart Toolkit: A guide for building heatwave preparedness in community organisations
This Guide, prepared by Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, includes information on:
- Who is at risk
- Key challenges people face
- Signs and symptoms of heat-related illness
- Key planning considerations for organisations
- A heatwave planning checklist (for all organisations)
- A client welfare checklist (for home care service providers)
Australian Red Cross provides practical information and resources on coping with heatwaves and hot weather.
Helping individuals prepare for heatwaves
Here are some resources to support service users to plan for extreme weather:
- Australian Red Cross Emergency RediPlan and Get Prepared app
- Planning using the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) Toolkit for people with a disability and their support networks
- Flagstaff’s EMBER app emergency planning resources for people with a disability
- Meals on Wheels ACT! Resources to support older people to plan for emergencies
Mental Health Support
- The Climate Psychiatry Alliance provides information for caregivers on Coping with Extremem Heat: caring for mentally ill and vulnerable populations.
- The South Western Sydney Local Health District provides a video on Promoting Hope and Supporting Young People's Wellbeing in a Changing Climate.
- The NSW Government Free training and coaching provides links to free, easy-to-do programs you can use to support mental health in your workplace.
- Lifeline 13 11 14, is available to listen and support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Phone, SMS and online chat is available.
- Beyond Blue has developed an online resource on looking after your mental health after a disaster.
- Australian Red Cross provides resources on looking after yourself after a disaster.
- Headspace provides information for family and friends supporting young people affected by a natural disaster.
- Emerging Minds provides resources and advice on supporting children’s mental health during disaster and traumatic events.
Pets and Livestock
- The NSW Government provides advice on How to prepare pets and livestock for an emergency.
- The Animal Welfare League NSW provides tips on keeping pet safe during summer including the Summer Safe Pet Tips factsheet.
- RSPCA NSW provides information on keeping pets safe from Heat Stress.
- NSW Local Land Services provides information on caring for animals during extreme heat
Cool Places
Some local councils provide Cool Places for community members during heatwaves:
- Blacktown City Council Cool Places
- Penrith City Council Places to go to 'beat the heat'
- Check with your local Council to find out about any Cool Places in your area.
Other resources and information
Other resources and support to assist people and organisations prepare for and respond to heatwaves include the following.
Financial support - for people
Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) helps people having trouble paying their energy bill because of a short-term financial hardship, crisis or emergency. Apply online via Service NSW or in person through your nearest EAPA Scheme Provider.
Service NSW also provides information on other energy rebates, including Seniors and Medical Energy rebates.
The No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) offers safe and affordable access to credit to people on low incomes in NSW. The scheme provides up to $2000 dollars for essential goods and services over 2 years. Use the Good Shepherd NILS Provider Finder.
The National Debt Helpline provides free assistance to those in financial difficulty. Call 1800 007 007, 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Call, or visit the National Debt Helpline website to find a Financial Counsellor near you.
For assistance with complaints about your energy provider, contact the Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON), 1800 246 545, complaints@ewon.com.au.
For households struggling to pay energy bills, contact your energy provider to find out more about their Hardship Policy.
Financial support - for organisations
- Find a government initiative, grant or funding program to help support your business, project or your community here.
- The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal offer grants to support regional community programs and initiatives.
Support for community
- Local community services and organisations are at the forefront of crisis support. Search for your local services using Infoxchange Service Seeker or Ask Izzy to find out what local services are doing in your area.
- My Community Directory provides online health and community information for locations throughout NSW.
Community organisations responding to extreme weather
Tools and resources to understand and plan the role of your organisation in preparing and responding to extreme weather events:
- NCOSS and the NSW Mental Health Commission have produced Guides and a Workbook for community-based organisations identify the roles they contribute to disaster recovery and resilience in their community: Planning and preparing for community-led disaster recovery: A guide for local organisations, Workbook for community-based organisations.
- NSW community services organisations provide critical support to communities before during and after crisis events. The NCOSS Building Resilience for Emergency Responses webpages contain case studies, podcasts and resources to support services with this important work.
- ACOSS Resilient Community Organisations website: a toolkit developed by and for the community sector to help organisations measure and improve their resilience to disasters and emergencies.
NCOSS is currently leading the Community Sector Disaster Capability project with AbSec and the LCSA to strengthen the role of place-based NGOs in reducing disaster risks. Working with local NGOs in the three NSW locations, the project is building local NGO sector and community disaster preparedness and resilience.
To provide updated or new heat assistance information, please contact info@ncoss.org.au.