Extreme heat events remain a cause of preventable death nationwide. Rising temperatures combined with urban heat islands are projected to increase the vulnerability of aging urban populations, especially the poor, to heat-related health impacts. The Extreme Heat Events Guidebook from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is designed to provide public health officials with background information on Extreme Heat Event (EHE) risks and impacts, allowing officials to roughly assess potential local health risks from such events.

The guidebook includes sections about identifying EHE impacts and risk sources, and provides a menu of notification and response actions to consider when developing or enhancing a local EHE program. The guide also includes a set of recommendations for effective EHE notification and response programs, and a bibliography of additional resources for addressing EHE.