Red Cross Offers Tips to Beat the Heat

As most of the U.S. continues to swelter in the summer's first widespread heat wave, local Red Cross chapters are offering tips to beat the heat.

The Dallas Red Cross chapter continues its Operation Cool Down efforts. Local volunteers hit the streets June 21, the first day of summer, to help educate citizens on how best to protect themselves from extreme heat. More than 4,000 hand-held fans and brochures in Spanish and English with heat safety tips were distributed. The handouts included information on the Summer Fan Program, a project to distribute free electric fans.

In New York City, Red Cross workers in mobile relief units are busy distributing water and lemonade, along with thousands of heat-related safety information in Spanish and English to areas of the city experiencing power outages caused by the current heat wave.

According to the Red Cross, four groups of people are particularly vulnerable to the heat: the elderly; very young children; asthmatics; and those who are physically unfit or are suffering from health problems. The Red Cross suggests these tips to keep cool and be safe in hot weather:

• Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. It is also a good idea to wear hats or to use an umbrella.
• Drink water. Carry water or juice with you and drink continuously even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body.
• Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.
• Stay indoors or out of the sun when possible.

Be aware of the symptoms of heat-related illness, advises the Red Cross. If you see any of these symptoms in a coworker, family member or friend, help them immediately.

• Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. They usually involve the abdominal muscles or the legs. It is generally thought that the loss of water and salt from heavy sweating causes the cramps.
• Heat stroke, which is also known as sunstroke, is a life-threatening condition. The victim's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly. Signs include hot, red, and dry skin; changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Body temperature can be very high—sometimes as high as 105°F.
• Heat exhaustion is less dangerous than heat stroke. It typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a warm, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Fluid loss causes blood flow to decrease in the vital organs, resulting in a form of shock. With heat exhaustion, sweat does not evaporate as it should, possibly because of high humidity or too many layers of clothing. As a result, the body is not cooled properly. Signals include cool, moist, pale, or flushed skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion. Body temperature will be near normal.

For all heat-related illnesses, the Red Cross advises cooling the person down, giving fluids, and minimizing shock. In the case of heat stroke, call 9-1-1 to summon medical help and immediately move the person to a cooler place. Cool the person by wrapping wet sheets around his or her body and fanning it. Place ice packs on the person's wrists, ankles, underarms, and neck. Keep the person lying down. In the case of heat cramps and heat exhaustion, get the person to a cooler place and have him or her rest in a comfortable position. Give half a glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Remove or loosen tight clothing, and apply cool, wet cloths to the major blood vessels in the neck, wrists, and ankles.

For more information or to enroll in a Red Cross first aid and CPR course, contact the local American Red Cross chapter in your community or contact the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org.