Published: June 24, 2009 11:00 pm      

Enduring the heat

Take precautions when venturing outside for work or play

Staying safe in the heat

To avoid heat related health problems, the Indiana State Department of Health recommends the following:

• Drink plenty of cool water.

• Avoid prolonged exposure to high temperature.

• Attempt to get into air conditioned areas, even for brief periods. If you do not have air conditioning, move to a location that is air-conditioned.

• Fans are a source of relief when there is low humidity.

• Cool down with cool baths or showers.

• Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.

• Slow down from your normal pace.

• Avoid alcohol.

• Draw shades, blinds and curtains in rooms exposed to direct sunlight.

• Children nor pets should never be left in parked cars, even with the windows cracked open.



As the sun reigns down an inferno making the sidewalks and streets fume with heat, area landscapers, mail carriers and other outdoor professionals must continue on with their duties.

People such as Joe Scheidler of Springcreek Landscaping who says those who make a living exposed to the elements must overcome the dread of days with a forecast of hot sun in a cloudless sky beating down with little or no breeze.

“It’s something that the initial days are tolerably only because of their uniqueness, but it is something that gets old very quickly,” Scheidler said. “That wall of heat and humidity that greets you makes it harder to keep up zeal for the work.

“It just saps the energy right out of you so the longer it hangs around, I think, the more detrimental it becomes to plants, to workers, to everyone involved.”

With a heat index that approached 100 degrees on Wednesday and a forecast that is not expected to be much cooler today, exposure is the biggest concern for workers and others spending prolonged periods outside.

Possible illnesses are heat cramps in the abdomen, legs and arms that occur from strenuous activity and increased sweating; heat exhaustion developed after several days of high temperatures and low fluid intake; and heat stroke, which occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature and cannot cool itself down.

Dr. Thomas Pawlowski, an emergency room physician at Logansport Memorial Hospital, has started to see more and more people coming in for treatment of overexposure. The people most susceptible are children, the elderly and those working in hot environments.

The effects on the human body can be serious and even deadly.

“When that core body temperature gets over 104 degrees, cell membranes break down, organs fail and definitely you will see death from this,” Pawlowski said.

People having a heat stroke can experience change in mental status, such as confusion or becoming comatose, and a body temperature as high as 106 degrees. Pawlowski said 9-1-1 should be called immediately for anyone suffering from such serious symptoms.

Pawlowski said people can get into dangerous situations from overexerting themselves and not taking certain precautions. He offered a few hot weather tips to cope with the rising temperatures.

For hydration, sports drinks are best because they replace the sodium lost from sweating, something water only cannot do. He also advises people to take frequent breaks.

Scheidler, who works mostly in Cass County, encourages his crew to take more breaks, drink plenty of fluids and slow their pace, which he says comes naturally in these conditions.

“We just have to be alert to a lot more concerns in this kind of weather then we do when it’s not so hot,” Scheidler said.

Carriers for the U.S. Postal Service in Logansport heed similar warnings about how to handle the heat when hand delivering mail throughout the city. Supervisor Customer Service Andrew Shay says they are reminded multiple times a year of the symptoms of heat-related illnesses.

Because the mail must get delivered despite the weather, the extremes are accounted for.

“We know they’re not going to be able to move as fast in this kind of heat, and we allow them some extra time to get it done safely,” Shay said.

In his nine years as manager, no carrier has experienced medical issues due to extreme heat or cold, but they have experienced dog bites. Shay says the local post office has already had an increase in dog problems, which he attributes to the warmer weather.

“They do tend to get irritable in this heat, too,” Shay said.

One carrier was bitten by a small dog that broke the skin. There have been three other close calls.

There is no break in sight. The National Weather Service expects conditions of high humidity and high temperatures to prevail for at least today and possibly the next few days.

Pawlowski asks in times like these to heed their body’s warning signs and monitor the vulnerable.

“Pay attention to your symptoms, pay attention to your children and your elderly, and make multiple checks on them to see how they’re handling the heat,” he said.

• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at (574) 732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com