Extreme Heat Safety Tips

Those of us in British Columbia will remember the extreme heat this time last year, as we scrambled for air-conditioning units and the closest fan.

Extreme heat can put your health at risk, and it’s important to take steps to protect yourself and your family. Heat illnesses, like the ones listed below, can affect you quickly:

Heat edema (swelling of hands, feet, and ankles), heat rash, heat cramps (muscle cramps), heat fainting, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Follow these five steps to protect yourself and those around you in very hot weather:

• Prepare for the heat.
• Pay close attention to how you, and those around you, feel.
• Stay hydrated.
• Stay cool.
• Avoid exposure to extreme heat when outdoors.

While extreme heat can put everyone at risk from heat illnesses, health risks are greatest for older adults, infants and young children, people with chronic illnesses, people who work in the heat, people who exercise in the heat and homeless people.

Here are a few interesting stats related to extreme heat:

• The number of extremely hot days in Canada is expected to double over the next 30 years.
• Sunburned skin loses its sweating efficiency, making it harder for your body to regulate temp.
• Tree-shaded areas can be as much as 5°C cooler than the surrounding area.
• If it’s more than 23°C outside, the inside of a vehicle could hit higher than 50°C.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Canada was 49.6°C in Lytton, BC, last summer.

Source: Government of Canada/HumanaCare