Too Hot To Handle

Southington drafts heat policy in wake of record temps

2024 is likely to go on the record books as the hottest year on Planet Earth since record keeping began. Temperatures hit three digits with more regularity than every before, and wet bulb globe temperatures hit dangerous levels. While many of us are able to beat the heat in air-conditioned rooms, not everyone has that luxury. For those employees, it is not only smart to have a policy in place. Southington is one such town that is drafting a heat policy, one that could potentially save lives.

The policy idea was sparked when Councilperson Valerie DePaolo asked a simple question at a Town Council Meeting – do we have a policy? According to a Patch.Com article, the next step seemed obvious, and Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone said the town had begun working on one.

For the time being, the article states, the town’s department heads were advised to utilize the current U.S. military protocols, a color flag system that tells people just how hard they should be working. Cool working conditions are 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit and below, yellow flag conditions are between 85 and 87.9, red flag conditions are between 88 and 89.9, and black flag conditions are over 90 degrees.

These temperatures are not simple thermometer temperatures, though. They are the wet bulb globe temperatures, something that has been discussed in the pages of CT&C before. Unlike common heat temperatures – or dry bulb temperatures – wet bulb globe temperatures takes into account the air temperature, humidity, radiant heat, and air movement in its calculation, giving a much more accurate sense of the temperature as humans would feel it. Human’s as we all know cool off by sweat- ing, the higher the humidity and in still conditions with no breeze, that humidity prevents us from cooling off. If wet bulb globe temperatures are sustained, it can be deadly, and there is thought to be a human limit for survival.

What that means for town employees is that in red flag conditions, strenuous outdoor work can only happen at 20 to 30 minutes at a time with 30 to 40 minutes of rest in between. In black flag conditions, all outdoor activities are to be suspended.

Towns and cities across the state are going to need to follow Southington’s lead. Each summer is getting hotter and the list of places around the world that are hitting black flag conditions is growing. The priority is to keep people safe, especially in summertime when people are going to want to be outdoors.