Keep Your Cool: Hot Weather Safety Tips

Charlie, a seven-year-old beagle/lab rescue dog,  likes to keep cool with a quick spray of the hose.

Photo credit: Wendy Mitchell

With the extreme heat this week there are many important safety tips to be reminded of to keep your cool. The obvious ones are to stay hydrated, wear light, loose fitting clothing, use plenty of sun screen and stay out of direct sunlight — especially during peak hours.

The elderly, infants and children and people with chronic medical issues should be extra cautious as they are more likely to be affected by the extreme heat, according to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Staying indoors in an air-conditioned environment is their number one recommendation to prevent heat-related illness.

The American Red Cross states there are three types of heat-related illnesses to be aware of:

• Heat Stroke, also known as “sun stroke,” can be life-threatening. Symptoms to look for are dry or hot red skin, changes in consciousness, vomiting and hot body temperature.
• Heat Exhaustion, which comes from strenuous exercise or physical labor, is shown when the person’s face is pale or flush, there is heavy sweating, nausea, and/or dizziness.  If someone you know is exhausted, has a headache or is exhibiting these signs, move them to a cool place and call 9-1-1. Apply cool, wet cloths, fan the person and give them small amounts of cool water to drink slowly.
• Heat Cramps are muscular cramps in the legs or abdomen that signal the body has lost electrolytes and fluids due to exposure to high heat and humidity.

Call your local emergency responders at 9-1-1 if you come across anyone with these symptoms.

Senior Safety

Remember to keep senior citizens safe by checking on them frequently. Inform friends and family to do the same and set up a “buddy system” in your family to ensure seniors are cool and hydrated.  The CDC states that seniors are more prone to heat-related illness, so make sure to keep the elderly (over 65)  in air conditioning.

Don’t Forget Pets

Have plenty of fresh, cold water available to dogs, cats and other pets.

Give your dog a lightweight summer haircut to help prevent overheating, but don’t cut too short or they can get sunburned. Brush dogs and cats more often than usual to prevent overheating.

Keep all unscreened windows or doors in your home closed to prevent fatalities due to falls.

Never leave a pet in the car unattended on a hot day even with the windows cracked. (See belowCar Safety.) Heatstroke can be fatal to pets and it is important for pet owners to keep their furry friends safe by knowing what to look for.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an animal humane organization, symptoms of overheating in pets include “excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. They can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit, along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees.”  Get your pet to the vet immediately if they exhibit any of the aforementioned symptoms. For a quick and easy cool down, give your pet a spray with the hose.

Car Safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that parents and caregivers should keep a daily routine and to “be extra careful if you have to change any part of that routine.”  This is when parents or caregivers are more likely to accidentally forget that a child is in the back seat.

Other accidents have happened when parents or caregivers are on their way home and realize they need to stop in at the store to pick up one or two things for dinner. Parents think, “I’ll just run into the store for a minute,” and leave their child in the car.  The inside temperature of a car can rise 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes. Even if the windows are partially open the temperature can still escalate to dangerous levels.

Children’s bodies overheat easily, and infants and children under four are at the greatest risk for heat-related illness.  Children’s bodies absorb more heat on a hot day than an adult and are less able to lower their body heat by sweating, which cools down the body.  High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.

If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible and cool them down. Call 9-1-1 immediately.

Be careful when buckling infants and children in car seats and seat belts.  Hot metal buckles can cause a serious burn on a young child, or even an adult.  Use caution when sitting down on leather or imitation-leather seats, as these can heat up rapidly as well.  Use a window shade for the dashboard and keep a blanket in the car to sit on to prevent discomfort.  Both can be purchased at your local auto supply retailer.  Leave the windows open a crack and cool the car before entering.

Kid’s Safety

In addition to the tips presented for Car Safety, remember to keep kids hydrated, use sun block, and dress children in protective clothing.  Be careful  on the playground with metal swings, see-saws, and hot slides.  The metal can burn a child’s skin when heated by the hot sun and warm temperatures.

Here are some more tips to keep kids safe and busy:

• Stay Indoors During Peak Hours: Morning is the coolest time of day, so encourage children to get up early and play outside early in the day before the sun has reached dangerous temperatures.

  For craft ideas to keep kids busy when it’s too hot to play outside, check out Crayola Kids website.

• Made in the Shade: Keep kids in the shade during peak hours.  Remember that sun reflects off the sand and pavement, so apply sunscreen even if you’re under an umbrella.

  Make sure to dress children appropriately when venturing out over the next few days. Dress them in light-colored clothing that doesn’t attract the sun and use a cool cotton hat to protect their faces.

• Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water and other drinks containing electrolytes and eat water-rich treats such as watermelon, cantaloupe and juice pops.  Keep squirt guns and spray bottles on hand and fill them with cold water to cool kids down.  Place a cold, wet washcloth at the back of your child’s neck to keep him or her cool on hot days.

Keep Your Cool

Kids get cranky, parents get cranky, cashiers at the drive-up window get cranky.  Even if that waitress or person in traffic who cut you off deserves “a piece of your mind,” be the bigger person and keep your lips zipped. Bad moods are contagious (and dangerous), especially in the heat.

Be safe and keep your cool.