HEat Related campout question

[Bob White]

Your are right to be concerned about the health of scouts in your care at temperature extremes whether too hot or too cold.

 

Here are some things to help keep the activities fun and safe.

* Know what the health dangers are for high heat conditions and know what symptoms to watch for.

 

* Have the first aid equipment on hand for the various heat related health issues and have enugh for more than one victim.

 

* Have your staff at all the program areas trained to watch for signs of heat related illnesess and have the respond to them immediately.

 

* Be procative... remind scouts and parents to apply sunblock frequently. Have cooling stations available where people can get shade and a place to rest. A childs pool with chairs seated around it allows people to soak their feet in cool water to help reduce the effects of the heat. Misting stations can be a great fun way to help people beat the heat.

 

* Be careful, it is possible to drink too much water even on a hot day. A good rule of thumb is if your are sweating and not having difficulty urinating then you are hydrated normallly. Drink when thirsty.

 

* Don't sweat it if you see people sweating it is the body's way to cool itself. The concern is when it's hot and they aren't sweating that it is the most dangerous. That can be caused by dehydration or by an extremely dry climate.

 

* Be careful not to over-exert the kids or the adults. Allow plenty of time for relaxing and cooling down between activities.

 

Hope this helps.

BW

 

 

 

[Gonzo1]

A quick check at weather.com shows a heat advisory or something for Alexandria, VA. It's hot outside, it's practically summer. Get out the watermellon, hose 'em down or do a water balloon toss. If they won't camp in the "heat", they won't camp when it's raining, snowing or anything else less than perfect.

 

Make it a great outing the the fair weather folks will wish they didn't miss.

 

Gonzo

[scoutldr]

The keys to preventing heat stress are 1)hydration, 2)work/rest regimen and 3)acclimatization. In the workplace, workers can become acclimatized to 100 degree heat after a couple of weeks. Problem with today's youth (and adults!) is that they spend 24/7 in air conditioning, then go to summer camp (or Jambo). Then they get heat exhaustion, or worse...DUH. It's easy to say that in the old days we didn't have those problems...because when I was a Scout, we didn't have AC in school (or at home or cars in most cases). In the summer, we were outside from 8 am until dark, because there was nothing to do indoors. Only TV, and then only 3 channels. Nothing but soap operas and game shows during the day. It was just as hot then in my area (90's during the day with 70+ dew points), but we were out in it every day, all day. Yes, it's a different world today, and kids can't handle it, because that's the way we raised them. The Girl Scout council here is addressing the issue by providing air conditioned cabins and computers at summer camp. Is that the direction we need to go to survive? Or do we insist on taking today's round kids (pun intended) and trying to force them into square tents?(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[Pack212Scouter]

"The Girl Scout council here is addressing the issue by providing air conditioned cabins and computers at summer camp."

 

::shudder:: Wow...summer camp with A/C and computers. Why even bother having summer camp? They can just go to the Library every day and it won't be any different. We are Scouting organizations...and are supposed to have an outdoors outlook. Caring for the environment...teaching in it...etc. That's one of the things that makes Scouting special. Sadly, in today's environment it is very true that more than ever we have kid's with fitness being an issue. But should we be changing the square hole to round so that now the square kid no longer has their place?

 

One of the great benefits of summer camp is for them to learn that a) they can actually go for more than six hours without modern conveniences and entertainment; b) that relationships with one another deepen when these modern devices are left behind.

 

As for the heat issue, several things are key to reducing risk.

 

a) enforce plenty of hydration with water (cool water is better than ice water, kids will drink more. Something with electrolites and minerals is a good idea for lunch)

 

b) volunteers and especially staff should be trained in the signs of heat distress. (sweating is a good thing, not sweating is not, etc.). It's also a good idea to know who you have there with medical training.

 

c) intersperse periods of physical activity (games) with periods of low activity (fishing)

 

d) take advantage of any shaded areas.(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)

[SctDad]

Ok I see everyone telling us to make sure that the boys and parents drink water. There are some other factors that I would like to put in.

 

First drink water. (Like everyone else said. The hotter it gets the more water. 1 qt an hour should be good)

 

But if you are drinking that much water, you need to make sure that you are not flushing out your electrolytes.

 

It may be HOT, but EVERYONE MUST EAT. If you drink too much water and do not eat then you can suffer from a condition known as hyponutremia. BAD NEWS. Ask anyone who has been in the military.

 

Who remembers salt tablets. There was some truth behind them. If you are out with the scouts and it is hot and humid, have meals that are high in carbs, and a normal ammount of salt content. (Bag of chips for example)

 

As for treating emergencies:

Heat exhaustion - Get them out of the heat. Allow them to sip water. Loosen restrictive clothing, Cool them back down.

 

Heat Cramps - Cramping feeling in the legs and belly. Cool them down and get them out of the heat. They probably did not eat right. Same other treatments as above but add seek medical treatment if condition does not improve quickly.

 

Heat Stroke - Persons skin is HOT AND DRY. NO SWEATING. DIAL 911 and get person to medical treatment immediatly. This is a life threatening illness. The body is too hot (103+) and needs to be cooled. Same other treatments as above but NOTHING TO BE TAKEN BY MOUTH.

 

Those are some of the things that my past 11 year in the army have told me.

[funscout]

Make sure ALL the leaders understand the precautions that need to be taken. I remember one Day Camp leader who felt the boys should "tough it out" and refused to allow them to do their fitness activities in the shade even though the temperatures were in the high 90's with high humidity. A couple parents had already begged him to move the little guys to the shade (and we had plenty of room in the shade), but he refused. It wasn't until I casually mentioned that my son often threw up when he got overheated, that he decided it would be wiser to move to the shade. I guess the leader wasn't as tough as he appeared, since the threat of vomit finally got to him!

 

Also, I've often wondered why some people (my boys and I) get overheated quicker than others. I've watched my son drink the same amount of water, at the same frequency as other kids, but he gets overheated before they do. Maybe it's our Norwegian ancestry? My mom, her brother, and her Norwegian mother were the same way.

[FireKat]

You want hot?  Try fighting fires in So. Texas heat and humidity wearing fire protection gear or Hazmat suits.  You learn a lot of tricks.  Best one is - Bananas -  Works even on those that imbib a bit much of adult beverages.  Worked well at fire school in July at Texas A&M.  Encourage all to have at least one with breakfast.  Stay away from caffine.

Wet bandanas or gell filled ones around the neck do wonders. Remove at intervals to recool them. For those that really cannot handle heat the sharper image co had a little device that does work (a friend with MS had one).