Crime & Safety

Heat Dangers: How to Protect Yourself

As summer temperatures rise, find out how to stay safe in the heat and avoid the dangerous fate others have suffered.

San Marino’s recent temperatures have been in the 80s and 90s and a high of 91 degrees is expected in the area for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued the followed warnings and tips at the start of the summer about excessive heat.

Heat Facts:

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  • Heat is the number one weather-related killer.
  • On average, more than 1,500 people in the U.S. die each year from excessive heat. This number is greater than the 30-year average annual number of deaths due to tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.
  • In the 40-year period from 1936 through 1975, nearly 20,000 people were killed in the United States by the effects of heat and solar radiation. In the disastrous heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died. In the heat wave of 1995 more than 700 deaths in the Chicago, Illinois area were attributed to this event. And in August 2003, a record heat wave in Europe claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.

 

Excessive Heat Cautions and Safety Tips:

Find out what's happening in San Marinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Elderly persons, small children, chronic invalids, those on certain medications or drugs (especially tranquilizers and anticholinergics), and persons with weight and alcohol problems are particularly susceptible to heat reactions, especially during heat waves in areas where a moderate climate usually prevails.
  • Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
  • Dress for summer. Lightweight light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
  • Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
  • Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Persons who (1) have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, (2) are on fluid restrictive diets or (3) have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.
  • Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
  • Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.
  • Spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford a high air conditioning bill, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air-conditioned environment affords some protection.
  • Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.
  • Never leave persons, especially children, and pets in a closed, parked vehicle. Each year children die from hyperthermia as a result of being left enclosed in parked vehicles. This can occur even on a mild day. Studies have shown that the temperature inside a parked vehicle can rise rapidly to a dangerous level for children, adults, and pets. Leaving the windows slightly open does not significantly decrease the heating rate. The effects can be more severe on children because their bodies warm at a faster rate than adults.


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