Your Protection, Our Duty

Heat related illnesses and deaths are largely preventable with proper planning and action. There are preventative actions that people can take before heat events occur, as well as actions to take while experiencing heat:

• During times of high temperatures, stay indoors in areas with access to air conditioning if possible. If you do not have access to air conditioning in your home, its recommended that you locate an open cooling center in your area, which could be your local mall, library, places of worship, or other space.
• Make sure to hydrate with water throughout the day, and avoid sugary beverages or drinks with caffeine which can affect your body’s ability to cool off.
• Take cool showers or baths.
• Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans create air flow and a false sense of comfort, but do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illnesses.
• Avoid strenuous activities that can result in overexposure to the sun.
• If you are outdoors, make sure to wear light-colored clothing, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
• Never leave people or pets in a vehicle.
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone.

Exposure to extreme heat can have many direct effects on human health (heat stroke, reduced labor productivity), as well as indirect effects (promoting air pollution and increasing asthma attacks, overloading power grids requiring rolling blackouts). Negative health outcomes occur if an individual is exposed to the hazard and has not sufficiently adapted to reduce sensitivity.

Heat-related illnesses happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person’s body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. Types of heat related illnesses include:

• Heat Cramps - Muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.
  • What to look for: heavy sweating, muscle pains or spasms
  • Actions to take: Stop physical activity and move to a cooler place, drink water or a sports drink. Seek medical attention if cramps last longer than one hour. 
• Heat Exhaustion - Typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim's condition will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising and the victim may suffer heat stroke.
• Heat Stroke - 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. A person who is experiencing heat stroke needs medical attention.