The Code Blue 2024-2025 season begins on October 15, 2024, and concludes on April 30, 2025.
“Code blue event” means a weather event in which the National Weather Service predicts temperatures of 18 degrees Fahrenheit or less, including wind chill, or any other extreme weather conditions established in rules made by the Department of Health and Human Services under Subsection 35A-16-702(4), to occur in any county of the first, second, third, or fourth class for two hours or longer within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Interested in volunteering during Code Blue?
Warming centers and shelters often rely on volunteers to help with a variety of tasks, especially during the winter months when the demand for these services increases. Organizations often need Guest Registration, Food Preparation and Distribution, Providing Comfort and Support, Managing Supplies, Cleaning and Maintenance, Transportation Assistance, Providing Health and Wellness Services, and Laundry Assistance. Volunteering in these settings is not only essential for keeping the shelters running but also makes a significant difference in the lives of those who depend on these services.
- Volunteering in Balance of State – Please click to email and include your location.
- Bear River LHC: Cache, Rich and Box Elder (Logan City)
- Carbon-Emery LHC: Carbon & Emery (East Carbon, Helper, Price, Wellington)
- Davis LHC: Davis (Clearfield and Layton Cities)
- Grand LHC: Grand (Moab City)
- Iron LHC: Beaver, Iron, Garfield, and Kane
- San Juan LHC: San Juan (Blanding/Monticello)
- Six County LHC: Juab, Sevier, Piute, Millard, Sanpete and Wayne
- Tooele LHC: Tooele (Grantsville, Tooele, and Wendover Cities)
- Uintah Basin LHC: Uintah, Duchesne, and Daggett
- Washington LHC: Washington (Saint George City)
- Weber-Morgan LHC: Weber, Morgan (Ogden City)
- Volunteering in the Mountainland area (Summit, Wasatch and Utah counties)
- Volunteering in Salt Lake City
Stay safe during winter weather
- Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
- Stay off roads if at all possible. If trapped in your car, then stay inside.
- Limit your time outside. If you need to go outside, then wear layers of warm clothing. Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
- Reduce the risk of a heart attack by avoiding overexertion when shoveling snow and walking in the snow.
Warning signs of, basic treatment for frostbite
Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers and toes.
Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.
Signs: Numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, firm or waxy skin.
Warning signs of, basic treatment for hypothermia
Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.
Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.
Signs: Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness.
Generator Safety
Generators can be helpful when the power goes out. It is important to know how use them safely to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and other hazards.
- Generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages.
- Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can kill you, your family and pets.
- Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. Touching a wet generator or devices connected to one can cause electrical shock.
- Always connect the generator to appliances with heavy-duty extension cords.
- Let the generator cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Guidance for Pets in Shelters
Click Here for Best Practices for Keeping Pets with their Owners
Utah Counties of 1st-4th Class
Utah Counties of 1st-4th Class
- Box Elder
- Cache
- Carbon
- Davis*
- Duchesne
- Iron
- Juab
- Millard
- Morgan
- San Juan
- Sanpete
- Sevier
- Uintah
- Tooele
- Washington*
- Weber*
- Summit
- Utah*
- Wasatch
- Salt Lake County*
*County of 1st or 2nd class: *Effective 5/1/2024: 35A-16-502. Winter response plan required
Code Blue Abbreviated Intake Process
A sample intake form can be found here.
In accordance with Utah State Code 35A-16-703 (2), shelters throughout the state must work with their Local Homeless Council (LHC) to implement expedited intake procedures in the event a code blue event is declared for that area. In order to ensure statewide consistency and to ensure that enough data is collected to understand and plan to address the need for additional shelter during extreme weather events, The Office of Homeless Services has established the following common standards for intake during a code blue event.
On-going Shelter Projects: These are projects that operate regularly outside of a declared code blue event. These include year-round and winter response shelters.
✔ Collect all data in the HMIS entry assessment
🗶 Do not conduct housing problem-solving at intake. Clients may be engaged in problem-solving while staying in the facility
✔ Coordinate with LHC to identify other ways to improve the efficiency of intake for the duration of the code blue event
Code Blue Specific Shelter Projects: These are projects that open in response to a code blue declaration and are not expected to operate outside the duration of the declaration.
✔ Collect the following data elements to create a deduplicated count of those accessing the shelter
and understand eligibility for other projects – Full Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Gender
🗶 Do not collect other data elements in the HMIS entry assessment
🗶 Do not conduct housing problem-solving at intake. Clients may be engaged in problem-solving while staying in the facility
✔ Coordinate with LHC to identify other ways to improve the efficiency of intake for the duration of the code blue event
Information on the 2023-2024 Code Blue season can be found here.