Mission to cool

Cities are hiring dedicated officers to prepare for extreme heat

- KIRAN PANDEY

WHEN JANE Gilbert heard last April that she had 'been appointed Miami-Dade County's chief heat officer—a first for both the US and the world—she was not surprised. Already employed as the first chief resilience officer of the City of Miami, one of the 34 municipal areas under the Miami-Dade County in Florida, she knew that it was time the world focused on extreme heat brought on by climate change.

"Extreme heat is the number one climate-related killer, but it has been relatively under addressed. Now cities are beginning to take action on heat mitigation and management, says Gilbert, in an email interview with Down To Earth (DTE). She plans to address the challenges posed by extreme heat in a more holistic manner, rather than just focusing on emergency response or mitigation strategies.

'Need to make county heat-safe equitably'

JANE GILBERT | World's first chief heat officer appointed at Miami-Dade County, Florida, US

DATE OF JOINING: April 30, 2021

WHY WAS SHE APPOINTED: To improve coordination and accelerate existing heat protection efforts and initiate new work that reduces the risks and impacts of heat stress for vulnerable communities in the county

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Create public awareness through social and traditional media messaging about the increasing dangers of extreme heat

• Produce tool kits for heat action to help municipalities and other partners understand the different actions available to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths

• Conduct heat health vulnerability assessment to understand populations most at risk to heat-related illnesses

• Create a three-year Climate and Heat Health Action Plan that will come out by the end of May 2022