Recruiting 100 temporary workers in August. That is the goal of the Alpes-Maritimes department to assist isolated individuals in coping with the heatwave. Vulnerable and alone, they were the first victims of the deadly summer of 2003.
Even though, according to Météo France, the period of extreme heat is ending, for the Alpes-Maritimes General Council, one can never be too cautious. In the summer of 2003, isolated individuals bore the brunt – 55% of heatwave victims died in their homes.
In August, 100 temporary workers will come to assist these people. Recruited at the minimum wage by the department, these youths will be distributed across the 22 medical and social action districts of Alpes-Maritimes. Their mission? To visit isolated individuals at their homes, help them protect themselves from the heat, particularly by delivering water to them. But above all, they will provide listening and companionship. To recognize them, they will carry an official General Council card, a “Canicule Campaign 06” t-shirt, and a logoed backpack.
This recruitment stems from the analysis of calls to the “canicule hotline”, set up by the General Council since July 19. The majority of calls were about the need for human contact and getting water bottles delivered.
A new “Heatwave Plan”, implemented in June 2006 by the State, delegates the power to trigger the alert level to the Prefectures. As the coordinator of the heatwave plan, the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes has implemented a series of actions to avoid the catastrophe of summer 2003. Calls for an increase in medical personnel and emergency responders, activation of the “white plan” (recall of staff on leave, cancellation of non-urgent procedures, setup of additional beds at the Nice University Hospital), welcoming of elderly people in non-medicalized homes, potential mobilization of retired doctors and medical students, making available to city halls for home interventions with transport from Communal Social Action Centers and the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service emergency centers…
These actions call for the responsibility of every resident of the Côte d’Azur to come to the aid of isolated individuals. In 2005, INSEE recorded 71,000 dependent people aged 60 and older living in the PACA Region. This number is expected to increase by 10% by 2015. Listed among the 56 departments placed on alert by Météo France, the Alpes-Maritimes are particularly concerned, with 6.5% of people unable to perform daily life activities. One in three of these individuals lives alone at home.
General Council Heatwave Hotline:
08 05 56 05 60
