New Taipei City and central agencies conducted a joint drill premised on extreme heat, verifying response procedures as summer peak temperatures climb repeatedly.

The exercise traced the flow from a suspected heat-illness case through transport to hospital admission, stressing how quickly cooling measures are applied in initial response.

Cooling shelters were also covered, including procedures for opening public facilities as temporary refuges, how they are publicised, and checks on vulnerable residents.

Thresholds for suspending outdoor work were reviewed as well. How temperature limits and rest periods apply in construction, logistics and delivery remains a practical issue.

Heat was added comparatively late to disaster response systems. Unlike typhoons or earthquakes, its harm does not appear at once but accumulates over days, making the timing of warnings hard to judge.

Many countries, Korea among them, face the same question, and as record summer highs recur, defining heat as a disaster and writing response manuals has spread.

The everyday rules are simple: reduce midday outdoor activity, drink water often, and check indoor temperatures for older people and those with chronic illness.