Beating the Heat: Staying Safe in Hot Weather

Extreme heat can be dangerous, especially for infants and children up to 4 years old, people 65 or older, people who are excessively overweight or physically ill and those who work outdoors and might overexert during work or exercise.

The North Carolina Departments of Health and Human Services and Crime Control and Public Safety offers these tips to help avoid heat-related health problems.

• Don't leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even for a few minutes.
   
• Drink plenty of cool, nonalcoholic fluids, preferably water or fluids containing electolytes. Sweat is a combination of fluid, sodium and other electrolytes. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, are formulated with electrolytes to help replace what the body loses in sweat.
   
• If exercising or working outside, drink two to four glasses of fluid each hour, even if you don't feel thirsty.
   
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Wear a wide-brimmed hat along with sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun. Use sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going outside.
   
• Stay indoors, and, if possible, in an air-conditioned place. If outside, take periodic breaks from the direct rays of the sun.
   
• Avoid using your stove or oven to keep cooler temperatures in your home.
   
• Have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day, if you are 65 years old or older, or call and check on someone who is in the age group.
   
• Limit outdoor activity to morning and evening hours, if you have to be outdoors. When working in the heat, have plenty of water available, monitor the condition of your co-workers, and have someone do the same for you.
   
• Remember to take fluids with you to outdoor activities, because they might not be readily available.

Animals are at just as much risk for heat-related illnesses as people.

• Leave pets at home and out of parked cars. Temperatures can quickly soar to 120 degrees inside a car, even if the windows are open. Leaving a pet alone in a closed car during hot weather is illegal in North Carolina.
   
• Panting and salivation are outward signs that an animal is overheating.
   
• Provide shelter for animals that are outside. A shade from a tree will not keep pets cool enough or keep them from betting sunburned.
   
• Make sure animals have access to cool, clean water, but never ice water, which can shock the system and cause severe upsets.
   
• Protect your pets' feet from hot pavement. Dogs' and cats' footpads are sensitive to heat and can easily blister.
   
• Cut back on exercising with your pet during hot weather and limit it to the cooler, early morning or later evening hour.