UK weather warnings - Met Office
Read Area Affects WW, CE SW and Laser.
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Weather warnings:
Vs Heat-Health Alerts:
If the rules are written in terms of Heat-Health Alerts, the area is much bigger. And also for a more extended period of time too.
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Was the year we had 40c before you moved down?
That was fun. I went running.
Must have been. It’s been hot but not that hot!
Let me just double check my work rest tables from all that HIP and Commanders HIP training to be in the building this evening…. TOO late, “stand down”
Just to be clear, activity means off-sqn stuff?!
HQAC haven’t issued a blanket stop order for summery weather yet?
Being left up to regions AFAIK. LaSER appears to be sending out regular email updates, as per screenshot above.
HQ have just put out a thing.
A good thing or the usual?
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Key Policy for Extreme Weather
RED Weather Warning/Health Alert: Commandant RAFAC takes responsibility for activities in affected areas. Activities can only proceed with their approval.
AMBER Weather Warning/Health Alert: Activities require endorsement from the Regional Commandant (RC).
YELLOW Weather Warning/Health Alert: Activities must be reviewed by the Activity Lead or Adult in Charge (IC).
Actions for RED Heat Warning
The expectation is that all activities will be suspended for the period of the warning.
Only those events specifically authorised by Comdt RAFAC, therefore those deemed essential, may proceed.
Actions for AMBER Heat Warning (including Parade Nights)
- Activities require RC endorsement and should be carefully reviewed.
- OC Sqns are to consider pausing parade nights during the Amber period, using OC discretion based on local conditions, infrastructure, and risk.
- Where activity continues, units are to:
- Consider wearing sports kit in place of uniform
- Adjust timings and reduce activity as required
- Ensure timely communication with parents/carers if activity is paused or changed
This approach recognises that local conditions will vary, and OCs are best placed to make informed decisions for non-SMS activity.
Responsibilities
OC Wings and Wing SMEs:
- Ensure that Adults IC activities are notified that their event is to be suspended for the forecast period of extreme heat.
- Return approved events to draft on SMS.
- Cancel unapproved events.
- Cancel draft events.
- Review activity across their AOR and ensure decisions are safe, ALARP, and tolerable.
TSA: Action CCF(RAF) Westminster events in the same manner.
CTT SNCOs: Inform CCF(RAF) Contingent/Section Cdrs of the above.
Final Reminder
All RAFAC activities are discretionary. Our primary responsibility is the safety and wellbeing of cadets and staff. Please ensure these heat illness prevention measures are fully understood and implemented to protect everyone from preventable harm.
The wording is a little confused; do they mean to refer to only red heat alert areas, or is the blanket stop also applicable to red health warning areas given they’re mentioned earlier?
I’m also a little unsure about just stopping all parade nights regardless when in a red zone. If a unit has air con, it could actually be safer for the cadets & staff to be there than in their own homes - although this does only apply in a minority of cases.
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Our building doesn’t and gets extremely hot (gets above ambient outside and just turns into a poorly ventilated sauna), so we’ve just binned off this week to be safe.
If nothing else, I’m not walking 40mins in 35+C to get to the unit…
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Which is completely fair; attendance is never mandatory.
But consider other staff & cadets who have the option to drive to a unit with aircon set at a lovely 21° - they would be disadvantaged by not being able to attend.
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They can still go for a nice air conditioned drive
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My college has also decided to make everything remote, even with all of the facilities having aircon.
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So the students have to work from their non-air conditioned accommodation instead?
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I kind of understand here moreso than squadrons; most transport into central London, where our campus is, consists of deep level tube lines that don’t have aircon and already get quite warm even when we don’t have a heatwave. Transport to most squadrons outside of London is typically by private car with aircon.
Funnily enough, the email goes on to state about the provision of aircon across campus, as well as the availability of so-called “cool spaces” across London that people can use.
I can confirm the Tube was not pleasant today.
I suspect it will be worse later in the week, if the rails haven’t all buckled by then.
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