How to sign up for France’s heatwave welfare check register
Local authorities regularly contact vulnerable people. Relatives can sign them up
France’s heatwave plan has been activities in the majority of departments during June’s historic heatwave
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More than half of France’s mainland departments were on the highest possible heatwave alert on Monday (June 22), as historic temperatures battered the country.
The intensity and longevity of the heatwave, as well as high overnight temperatures, has led to several local authorities deploying heatwave plans.
The ‘plan canicule’ runs from June 1 to the end of summer (September 15 or August 31), and provides local authorities with emergency tools to deal with heatwave conditions.
This includes additional resources for emergency services and care homes, aid for homeless people in the department, and measures for certain establishments including schools.
During red-alerts, rule changes over water usage (to reduce drought risk from the heat) as well as businesses like funeral homes are also possible.
Sign people up to heatwave register
One element of the plan also allows for vulnerable residents to be enrolled on a ‘heatwave register’ with their local mairie.
This applies to elderly (65+ or 60+ but declared unfit to work), disabled, and other vulnerable people (those living alone, without family, pregnant women, etc). It is free to enrol.
They can ask to be enrolled themselves, or be added by a third party (family member, doctor, etc) as long as the person does not object.
The mairie collates the list and passes it to the departmental prefecture.
It will collect basic civil information as well as contact details and an address in case of the need for a in-person check-up. The list is regularly maintained to ensure information is up-to-date.
When the local plan canicule is initiated, the prefecture will regularly call everyone on the list to ensure they are okay (the exact call schedule differs).
Authorities will remind people of best practices to avoid overheating, as well as check if they need any assistance.
If the person does not respond, and their lack of response is considered worrying, authorities can contact local police officers or firefighters to conduct an in-person check.
Note, the heatwave register is only enacted when a level 3 (orange) plan canicule is in place in the department.
This requires, on average, day-time temperatures to exceed 34C and night-time temperatures to exceed roughly around 20C for three consecutive days (exact thresholds depend on the department’s location).
For more information about signing up – or signing someone else up – to the heatwave register, contact the relevant mairie.
