Stay Safe in the Heat as Temperatures Rise Over the Weekend

It's important to take breaks if you're outside for a long period of time

Summertime means lots of fun outside, but it’s important to stay safe in the heat.

“We try to go to the pool, but on nicer days like today we go to the park or something else we can be outside for awhile,” Erin Kub of Kindred said.

“With extreme heat and dew points rising, it’s going to take a little longer to do stuff. Take that extra time,” Don Martin with F-M Ambulance said.

Some of the things you can do to stay safe when it’s hot outside include wearing a hat, putting on sunscreen and drinking lots of water.

It’s also a good idea to check on the elderly and children to make sure they’re doing okay in the sun. Don’t ever leave children or pets in the car.

“Heat rises very quickly when it’s shut off and even with a cracked window, temperatures rise very quickly, unbeknownst to most people, they think they’ll be fine. Just a matter of minutes, the heat rises,” Martin said.

Some symptoms of heat stroke include headaches and disorientation. If heat exhaustion seems to get progressively worse, that’s when it might become an emergency.

“If left untreated it can progress to the severest end which is obviously death, but also coma, seizure,” Martin said.

F–M ambulance says they tend to see more heat emergencies during the week when people are outside working.

It’s also not just the temperature that affects people, but also the dew point.

“The higher the dew point, the inability for the body to cool itself down, because the natural ability for the body is to sweat. But if the dew point is high, the more moisture’s out there, not allowing the body to cool down, its natural process,” Martin said.

“We always make sure to bring water with, and put sunscreen on the kids, and sunglasses and visors,” Kub said.