Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | Courtesy graphic read more read more
This summer has been typical of the Washington D.C. area, with hot weather and high humidity levels. Dealing with the heat and humidity can be painful, but there are ways to ease the pain and suffering.
Making sure you are hydrated can be one of the best ways to beat the heat.
“During hot weather you will need to increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level,” said Ron Kunz, Naval Support Activity Bethesda’s emergency management officer.
There are ways to tell if you are dehydrated or not, the two most common ways are if you are thirsty and your urine color.
If you are thirsty you are dehydrated. If your urine is clear to light yellow then you are not dehydrated. If it is dark yellow, orange or brown you are mildly to severely dehydrated.
What you wear can impact how the heat will affect you.
“Wearing lightweight and light-colored clothing is the best way to dress for the heat,” said Kunz. “The light colors will reflect some of the sun’s energy. And a hat can provide extra protection from the sun.”
When it is possible you should limit strenuous activities that take place outdoors.
“When possible, strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated or rescheduled to the coolest part of the day,” said Kunz. “You should take regular breaks when exercising or engaged in physical activity on warm days.”
Personal protective equipment (PPE) like such as Kevlar vest can be a factor in dealing with heat stress.
“PPE adds to your heat stress burden,” said Kunz. “This makes it even more important for you to focus on hydration and to recognize symptoms of heat stress before it becomes a potentially life threatening medical emergency.”
If you are in a leadership role that has you sending people out in the heat you should rotate your personnel.
“Supervisors — make sure that watch standers have adequate means to hydrate themselves,” said Kunz. “Rotation into and out of climate-controlled areas may need to be on a more frequent basis if heat conditions indicate.”
Since dogs only have sweat glands on areas that aren’t covered in hair, they are more vulnerable to heat stress than you are.
“Hot weather can affect the wellbeing of pets making them susceptible to overheating which can lead to very dangerous heat stroke,” said Kunz. “Always provide a source of water and a cool, ventilated place for your pet, leaving your pet inside a parked car, even for a few minutes, can be fatal.”
If it is possible, the best way to beat the heat is to stay in the air conditioning.
“Stay indoors and, if possible, in an air-conditioned place,” said Kunz. “If your home does not have air conditioning, consider going to the shopping mall, community center or public library. Even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you return to the heat.”
For more information on how extreme heat impacts your body visit https://www.cdc.gov/extremeheat/.
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2016 09:04 |
| Story ID: | 206907 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, How to Deal With Heat Stress, by PO1 William Phillips, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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