Extreme Heat Campaign

Join us and help prepare our communities

to reduce heat-related illness this summer.

We need your help to build awareness.

Join us this summer and help prepare our communities to reduce heat-related illness.

  • Extreme heat is already a deadly threat in Los Angeles and projections show a tenfold increase in the annual number of heat waves by mid-century.

  • Risk for heat related illness increases for children, older adults, pregnant people, outdoor workers, and people experiencing homelessness, among others.


#HeatSafeLA is our social media hashtag.

Why should I join the campaign?

When you join the HeatSafeLA campaign, you join 115+ distribution partners from across Los Angeles. You gain access to social media graphics, a content calendar with key messaging, and weekly email updates with instructions to share resources and tips for staying safe on extreme heat days. We hope you join us!

Who created the content?

LARC and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health created the content with input from dozens of community leaders, organizations, and academics. Learn more here.

Print and Social Media Content

Flyers

Share these flyers at public events and venues throughout Los Angeles via email or print!

Social Media

Objectives

  • Raise public awareness about the risks of extreme heat

  • Provide resources for staying cool, accessing utility assistance programs, and improving energy efficiency

  • Raise awareness of connection between climate change and public health, especially with media professionals and policy makers

Target Audience:

  • Los Angeles County residents, especially those at higher risk for heat related illness: children, pregnant people, outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness, and older adults, amongst others

Note to Our Distribution Partners:

Download our high resolution graphics. Do not download images or take screenshots from our website. They are low resolution and optimized for web pages, not social media channels.

Bus Ads

We have partnered with LA Metro, LA City’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO), and the Antelope Valley Transit Authority to run Public Service Announcements on approximately 2,400 buses from June-September 2025.

A 2021 report from UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation highlights the need for targeted heat risk interventions in common exposure settings, including informing transit riders about the risks of heat illness, encouraging them to notice warning signs, and sharing preventative actions.

If your transit agency would like to run a similar advertisement, please email us:

Social Media Calendar & Graphics

LARC’s 2025 Extreme Heat Campaign is live! More content will be posted soon.

Week 1: Campaign Kickoff

English Caption:  
Rising temperatures mean rising risk – expect more dangerously hot days in Los Angeles this summer. On #HeatAwarenessDay, get tips to stay safe on hot days at bit.ly/LA-Heat-Resources. Follow us for resources to protect yourself and your community from extreme heat. #HeatSafeLA

Spanish Caption:
El aumento de las temperaturas implica un aumento del riesgo: se esperan más días de calor peligroso en Los Ángeles este verano. En #HeatAwarenessDay, obtenga consejos para mantenerse a salvo en los días calurosos en bit.ly/LA-Heat-Resources. Síganos para obtener recursos para protegerse y proteger a su comunidad del calor extremo. #HeatSafeLA

Week 2: Physical Health Risks

English Caption:  
Now is the time to prepare for hotter days! Heat can cause serious illness, so make a plan and take extra care to prevent yourself from getting sick. Swipe for tips to keep yourself healthy in the heat! Visit bit.ly/LA-Heat-Resources for more ways to stay #HeatSafeLA

Spanish Caption:
¡Es el momento de prepararse para los días más calurosos! El calor puede causar enfermedades graves, así que prepara un plan y toma precauciones adicionales para evitar que te enfermes. Desliza el dedo para ver los consejos para mantenerse sano con el calor. Visite bit.ly/LA-Heat-Resources para más medidas para mantenerte #HeatSafeLA

Week 3: Mental Health Risks

English Caption:  
Taking care of your well-being when it’s hot means taking care of both your physical AND mental health. Extreme heat can add to the burden of everyday stress and affect your mental health. For assistance, visit DMH.LACounty.gov or call 800-854-7771. #HeatSafeLA

Spanish Caption:
Cuidar su bienestar cuando hace calor significa cuidar tanto de su salud física como mental. El calor extremo puede aumentar el estrés diario y puede afectar a su salud mental. Para asistencia visite a DMH.LACounty.gov o llame a 800-854-7771. #HeatSafeLA

Week 4: Cool Down Your Home

English Caption:  
Climate change is making LA hotter. If you don’t have air conditioning in your home, consider these tips to stay safe in the heat. For more information & resources, visit bit.ly/CoolDownYourHome  #HeatSafeLA

Spanish Caption:
El cambio de clima hace que Los Angeles sea más caluroso. Si no tiene aire acondicionado en la casa, considere estos consejos para mantenerse seguro y sano cuando hace calor. Para más información y recursos, visite: bit.ly/CoolDownYourHome #HeatSafeLA 

CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND & SUPPORTERS

  • In 2022, the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative (LARC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) partnered to create a social media campaign to help those most at risk for heat related illness to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. We recruited 50 distribution partners from local government, County departments, academia, and non-profit organizations. Together our posts reached more than 6,000,000 people that heat season.

    The content above was originally created by LARC staff in partnership with the LACDPH Climate Change Program, Elizabeth Rhoades, Laura Baetscher, and Susan Lesser, and translated into Spanish by Andres Rodriguez at Climate Resolve. We thank Lynn Hur for her research and writing, Yua Watanabe for the graphic design, and Camille Burrus for her evaluation of the 2022 campaign.

    In August 2022, UCLA’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and LARC were awarded a UCLA Transdisciplinary Research Acceleration Grant to assess and revise the campaign in preparation for a 2023 campaign. We assembled a Community Advisory Group to guide the collaborative work across all project phases, including designing and participating in workshops to co-create content and outreach strategies with community members and community leaders. The outputs of this community-engaged process include new communications materials ready for use in the summer of 2023, as well as additional networking and relationship building of community-based organizations, residents, non-profits, and government agencies working to secure a more heat resilient LA.

    Thank you to LARC’s network supporters, Accelerate Resilience L.A. (ARLA) a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the City of Los Angeles Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, Edison International, Second Nature, UCLA’s The Green Initiative Fund, and UCLA’s Transdisciplinary Research Acceleration Grant program for generously sponsoring LARC’s extreme heat campaign during the first two summers.

  • In July 2024, the CA Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation awarded a $3 million grant to support a comprehensive outreach program called Los Angeles Regional Collaborative: Heat Education, Ambassadors, and Training (LARC-HEAT). LARC-HEAT will be implemented by the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC), the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, Rising Communities, LA County Department of Public Health.

  • We have recruited more than 115 distribution partners from local government, County departments, academia, and non-profit organizations. We are working together to reach a broad audience throughout the County, particularly those most at risk for heat related illness.

    List of LARC’s 2025 Distribution Partners coming soon

Questions? Contact us