Canberra’s heatwave heroes

Posted on 18 January, 2019

If you’re sitting in an air-conditioned office today, spare a thought for those in jobs hit hardest by the heatwave.

We hope you’ll shout them a (cool) drink…

Tradespeople

Concreters, roofers, construction workers, tilers, air-conditioning installers and those working on infrastructure jobs around Canberra – we salute you.

Chefs

If you thought it was hot, try cooking all day over an oven or stove top – they can easily reach 50 degrees in a typical commercial kitchen.

Firefighters

Along with unbearable heat, a heatwave also brings a higher risk of fire, piling further pressure on our firefighters.

Landscapers

Landscapers are at the mercy of the weather in their jobs, and a heatwave is not a welcome forecast. Unfortunately, summer is often their busiest time so it can be hard to turn away potential jobs.

To all of you working in these conditions, we just want to say…

Don’t have access to air-conditioning? Here are a few tips to help stay cool at home…

Hacks to stay cool

1. Stick sheets in the freezer for a few minutes before bed. (We recommend placing them in a plastic bag first.)
2. Pop your hot water bottle in the freezer for a handy ice pack.
3. Take a long, cold shower and don’t bother drying off.
4. Cool down the whole room by hanging a wet sheet in front of an open window – the breeze blowing in will quickly bring down the room’s temperature.
5. Cool down the whole body by dunking feet in cold water.
6. Wear breathable, cotton clothing when going out.
7. Face your fan towards the window – this will move the hot air outside. To create a DIY air-conditioner, position a shallow pan or bowl full of ice in front of the fan for a cooling mist.

Got any more tips? Let us know in the comments!