Kaloma’s Health and Safety officer Hugh Hamilton said the aged care facility was following a new procedure designed to ensure residents were safe from the heat.

“All the doors are being kept closed, and we’re running the air-conditioners all night, instead of trying to cool the building down in the morning,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky. We recently upgraded the air-conditioning in the three lounge areas to reverse cycle.”

Residents also have individual reverse cycle air-conditioners in each of their rooms. Goondiwindi doctors have urged the elderly to drink plenty of water and to stay inside in the air-conditioning if they can.

QAS Assistant Commissioner for South Western Region Gavin Trembath the very young and elderly are most at risk however anyone can be affected.

“If you do notice any signs of heat exhaustion, make sure you seek medical treatment immediately. Symptoms to look out for include flushed or pale skin, cramps, nausea, headache, dizziness, disorientation and, in extreme cases, people can lose consciousness and may collapse.”

Mr Trembath said people who planned on exercising during extreme heat were also at risk of developing serious complications such as heat stroke as the body works overtime to maintain a normal temperature during exercise.

TEMPERATURES will exceed 40°C across western Queensland every day this week, which is as much as 12°C above average.

“The heatwave which has engulfed southern Australia will spread to Queensland this week, thanks to a very hot northwesterly airstream over the south of the state,” says Tom Saunders, Meteorologist at The Weather Channel.

“The heat will be accompanied by low humidity and fresh winds, leading to severe fire dangers for most of the state. Colder air from the south will probably not filter through southern Queensland until early next week,” he said.

They say every cloud has a silver lining. The only ones getting much fun out of this week’s scorching temperatures are people selling air-conditioners.