Spatio-temporal patterns of heat index and heat-related Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Daily patterns of heat index and the number of heat-related EMS calls (May-September, 2020-2021).

Moran scatterplot, LISA cluster map, and choropleth map for (a) heat index frequency, (b) heat index intensity, (c) heat index duration, and (d) heat-related EMS counts.

(a) K-Means Clustering Analysis for heat-related emergency medical services (EMS), heat vulnerability, and urban growth factors; radar chart for 22 indicators for (b) Cluster 1, (c) Cluster 2, (d) Cluster 3, (e) Cluster 4, and (f) Cluster 5; and (g) bar and whisker plots for eight key features by cluster.

Pattern correlation plot with heat-related emergency medical service (EMS) calls.

Spatial distribution of coefficients for parameters based on the GWPR model for heat-related EMS counts.

Abstract

This study investigates the patterns of extreme heat during summers and their link to heat-related Emergency Medical Services (EMS) incidents in Austin-Travis County, Texas, focusing on 2020 and 2021. Analyzing 47,838 heat-related EMS cases, the research identifies significant correlations between high heat index (HI) frequency/intensity and increased EMS incidents, especially in East Austin. The findings highlight the area’s vulnerability to heat and the connection between heat vulnerability, urban growth patterns, and heat-related illnesses. The study underscores the need for targeted heat resilience strategies in urban planning and emergency response to address these health risks effectively.

Team

Kijin Seong, Junfeng Jiao, Akhil Mandalapu, Dev Niyogi

The cover image is sourced from Pexels, is free of copyright issues, and can be used for educational purposes. https://help.pexels.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042295174

For more information, please visit: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670724003883