Tips for Staying Safe in the Heat

Stay Cool and Safe This Summer

Protect yourself, your family, and your pets with these safety tips:

Slow down: reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, seniors and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.

Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, loose fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.

Eat light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads. If you pack food, put it in a cooler or carry an ice pack. Don't leave it sitting in the sun. Meats and dairy products can spoil quickly in hot weather.

Drink plenty of water (not very cold), non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids, even if you don't feel thirsty.

Use air conditioners or spend time in air-conditioned locations.

Use portable electric fans to exhaust hot air from rooms or draw in cooler air.

Do not direct the flow of portable electric fans toward yourself when room temperature is hotter than 90°F. The dry blowing air will dehydrate you faster.

Minimize direct exposure to the sun. Sunburn reduces your body's ability to dissipate heat.

Take a cool bath or shower.

Check on older, sick, or frail people who may need help responding to the heat. Each year, dozens of children and untold numbers of pets left in parked vehicles die from hyperthermia.  Keep your children, disabled adults, and pets safe during tumultuous heat waves.

Don't leave valuable electronic equipment, such as cellphones and laptops, sitting in hot cars.

Source: The National Weather Service