Summer Safety and Survival

1. Summer Safety and Survival Summer Safety Rules Department of Risk Management James Madison University

2. What to Look for and Actions to Take The Symptoms of Heat Disorders….

3. Thinking About Yourself • Avoid the Heat. Stay out of the heat and indoors as much as possible. Spend time in an air conditioned space. Only two hours a day in an air-conditioned space can significantly reduce the risk of heat-related illness. Shopping malls offer relief if your home is not air-conditioned. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine. Remember, electric fans do not cool, they just blow hot air around. • Dress for the heat. Wear loose-fitting clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Lightweight, light-colored clothing that reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Avoid too much sunshine. Sunburn slows the skin's ability to cool itself. Use a sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (sun protection factor) rating. • Drink FOR the Heat. Drink plenty of water and natural juices, even if you don't feel thirsty. Even under moderately strenuous outdoor activity, the rate your body can absorb fluids is less than the rate it loses water due to perspiration. However, if you have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restrictive diets; or have a problem with fluid retention you should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake. • Do not drink IN the Heat. Avoid alcoholic beverages and beverages with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and cola. Alcohol and caffeine constrict blood vessels near the skin reducing the amount of heat the body can release. Although beer and alcohol beverages appear to satisfy thirst, they actually cause further body dehydration. • Eat for the Heat. Eat small meals more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein because they increase metabolic heat. Avoid using salt tablets, unless directed to do so by a physician. • Living in the Heat. Slow down. Reduce, eliminate, or reschedule strenuous activities such as running, biking and lawn care work when it heats up. The best times for such activities are during early morning and late evening hours. Take cool baths or showers and use cool, wet towels. • Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

4. Thinking About Others • Do not leave children in a closed vehicle, even for a few minutes. This is a "No-Brainer". Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach 140°F-190°F degrees within 30 minutes on a hot, sunny day. However, despite this common sense rule, deaths from heat occur almost every Summer when someone leaves their child in a closed vehicle. • When outdoors, protect small children from the sun, their skin is sensitive. • Help your pets keep their cool. It will "feel" as hot for them as it will for you. As with children, do not leave your pets in a closed vehicle. Be sure your animals have access to shade and a water bowl full of cold, clean water. Dogs don't tolerate heat well because they don't sweat. Their bodies get hot and stay hot. During summer heat, avoid outdoor games or jogging with your pet. If you would not walk across hot, sunbaked asphalt barefoot, don't make your dog walk on it either. (Dogs can also get blisters on their paws from hot pavement.) • Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid

5. Thinking About Your Environment • Protect windows. Hang shades, draperies, awnings, or louvers on windows that receive morning or afternoon sun. Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat entering the house by as much as 80%. • Conserve electricity. During periods of extreme heat, people tend to use a lot more power for air conditioning which can lead to a power shortage or outage. Vacuum air conditioner filters weekly during periods of high use. • Keep lights turned down or turned off. • Avoid using the oven. Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

6. Lightning Safety and Outdoor Sports Activities • Sports officials must understand thunderstorms and lightning to ensure they make educated decisions on when to seek safety. Without this knowledge, officials base their decisions on personal experience and the desire to complete the activity. The National Weather Service recommends officials of organized sports have a lightning safety plan they follow without exception. The plan should give clear, specific safety guidelines to eliminate errors in judgment. The guidelines should address the following questions: • •When should activities be stopped? • •Where should people go for safety? • •When should activities be resumed? • •Who should monitor the weather and who decides when to stop activities? • •What should be done if someone is struck by lightning? • Before an event, organizers should listen to the latest forecast to determine the likelihood of thunderstorms. A NOAA Weather Radio is a good source of up-to-date weather information. If thunderstorms are forecast, organizers should consider canceling or postponing the activity. Once people start to arrive at an event, the guidelines in the lightning safety plan should be followed. The National Weather Service has developed several lightning safety toolkits groups can use to develop their safety plan. The next four slides provide some information to consider when making a lightning safety plan.

7. Stopping Activities • In general, a significant lightning threat extends outward from the base of a thunderstorm cloud about 6 to 10 miles. Therefore, people should be in a safe place when a thunderstorm is 6 to 10 miles away. Also, the guidelines should account for the time it will take for everyone to get to safety. Here are some criteria that could be used to stop activities: • If you see lightning. The ability to see lightning varies depending on the time of day, weather conditions, and obstructions such as trees, mountains, etc. In clear air, and especially at night, lightning can be seen from storms more than 10 miles away provided that obstructions don’t limit the view of the thunderstorm. • If you hear thunder. Thunder can usually be heard for a distance of about 10 miles provided that there is no background noise. Traffic, wind, and precipitation may limit the ability to hear thunder to less than 10 miles. If you hear thunder, though, it’s a safe bet that the storm is within ten miles.

8. Seeking Safe Shelter • No place OUTSIDE is safe in or near a thunderstorm. Stop what you are doing and get to a safe place immediately. Small outdoor buildings including dugouts, rain shelters, sheds, etc., are NOT SAFE. Substantial buildings with wiring and plumbing are the safest places. Office buildings, schools, and homes offer good protection. Once inside, stay away from windows and doors and anything that conducts electricity such as corded phones, wiring, plumbing, and anything connected to these. • A hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed also provides good protection. Avoid contact with metal in the vehicle and try to keep away from windows.

9. Resuming Activities • Because electrical charges can linger in clouds after a thunderstorm has passed, experts agree that people should wait at least 30 minutes after the storm before resuming activities. Monitoring the Weather and Making Decisions • Lightning safety plans should specify that someone be designated to monitor the weather for lightning. The ‘lightning monitor’ should not be the coach, umpire, or referee, since they busy doing other things and can’t adequately monitor conditions. . The ‘lightning monitor’ must know the plan’s guidelines and be empowered to follow the guidelines.

10. Helping Lightning Victims • Most victims can survive a lightning strike; however, medical attention may be needed immediately. Call for medical help. • Victims do not carry an electrical charge. • In many cases, the victim’s heart or breathing may have stopped. CPR or an AED may be needed to revive them. • Continue to monitor the victim until medical help arrives. • If possible, move the victim to a safer place away from the threat of another lightning strike.