By Patric Hedlund, TME

The Cooling Center in Frazier Mountain Park’s Community Center (3801 Park Drive) will be open to all Mountain Community residents when the forecast predicts 93 degrees Fahrenheit now. Formerly the criteria was 95ºF. This news came in as we are going to press this week.

The Mountain Enterprise has been expressing concern to Kern County officials this month, and to members of the Mountain Communities Collaborative, about the local center being closed when every other cooling center in Kern County has been open this July. In several documented cases, the temperature was predicted by the National Weather Service to be 93ºF here, but then rose to 97ºF by midday.

The Mountain Enterprise asked Frazier Mountain Community Health Center’s Dr. Brent Burket if rising temperatures here present increased stress for those with breathing and heart complications. At higher elevations oxygen molecules are more dispersed (due to lower barometric pressure), leading to less oxygen per breath. Dr. Burket agreed the impact of heat at higher elevation on his patients—seniors especially, with breathing and cardiopulmonary complications—is greater here. This is made more dangerous because other sections of Kern County typically build residential units with air conditioning. This area has not, because these temperatures are not normal for this region. We are facing a climate anomaly, and it can be dangerous.

British Columbia reports 800 people died during their June-July heat wave this year.

We appreciate Kern County’s Aging & Adult Services, Lindsay Call, the Mountain Communities Collaborative, volunteers from AARP, Meals on Wheels and other community groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and District 2 Supervisor Scrivner’s office for their response to these concerns for the health and comfort of our neighbors.

This is part of the July 23, 2021 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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