Community engagement for heat resilience

A guide to turning data into local action through community engagement

This space is designed to help health departments, community leaders, community members, and community-based organizations and their staff to identify ways to use the community heat resilience tool in their community engagement work.

Regardless of your role, this guide walks you through how to effectively engage the communities most vulnerable to extreme heat and how to co-design and implement solutions that work.

Why community engagement matters

• People closest to the issue often have the best ideas.
• Representation and participation are essential to heat governance, the coordination and implementation of strategies, policies, and actions by government, communities, and other institutions.
• Solutions are stronger when informed by lived experience.
• Equitable engagement ensures resources reach those who need them most.

Photo: UW DEOHS

Strategies for engagement

1. Identify high-risk locations and populations

2. Host accessible listening sessions

3. Co-produce a heat action plan

4. Establish and publicize cooling centers

5. Conduct targeted outreach

6. Educate community and partners

7. Address infrastructure gaps

8. Develop warning systems

9. Support responders

10. Listen, monitor, and report back

Tools, examples, and resources

• Equitable Engagement Toolkit – Oregon: A seven-step framework with practical guides and worksheets to advance inclusive community engagement.
• Public Engagement Toolkit for Heat Action Planning – LA County: Structured for building data-informed, community-centered heat resilience plans.
• Heat Action Plan Toolkit – North Carolina DEQ: Templates, communication materials (some available in Spanish), checklists, and sample messaging.
• King County Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy: A comprehensive, five-year (2024–2029) heat resilience strategy with 20 actionable measures co-developed with frontline communities.
• Public Engagement Report – One Seattle Plan: Example of a report highlighting regional temperature differences due to green space availability.
• Directory of Local Health Departments - NACCHO: A tool to help you search for local health departments in your area.
• NOAA HeatRisk Forecast Tool: A 7-day, color-coded forecast of heat risk across the U.S.
• CDC Heat Safety Toolkit: A collection of printable flyers, infographics, and communication templates.
• National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS): A portal for heat mapping, health impact data, and adaptation strategies.

Photo: UW DEOHS

Photo: UW DEOHS

Need help?

Please contact us (heathealth@uw.edu) if you need help using the Community Heat Resilience Tool or interpreting the results for outreach in your community. We're here to help!