Excessive Heat Safety Tips: VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Excessive Heat Safety Tips
• Slow down – Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
• Dress for summer- Lightweight light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires – Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol fluids – Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty. Persons who (1) have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, (2) are on fluid restrictive diets or (3) have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids. Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
• Spend more time in air-conditioned places – Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air conditioned environment affords some protection.
• Don’t get too much sun – Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician
If you must be out in the heat:
• Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.
• Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage. Remember the warning in the first “tip” (above), too.
• Try to rest often in shady areas.