Fire Dept. Urges Precautions During Triple Digit Temps

With temperatures expected to go above 100 degrees in parts of the desert, mountain, and valley areas of Los Angeles County, the Pasadena Fire Department reminds residents to take precautions. Air quality is also a concern and individuals with heart disease, asthma or other lung disease should minimize outdoor activity. Poor air quality can make people even more susceptible to heat-related illness.

Prolonged sun exposure may cause dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Also, never leave children, elderly people, or pets unattended in closed vehicles, since temperatures can quickly rise to life-threatening levels.

If you plan to be outdoors, please take precautions to protect yourself from the heat. Symptoms of dehydration and heat cramps include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, and increased thirst. Individuals with these symptoms should be removed to a cooler, shaded place and given water or sport drinks.

More severe symptoms such as diminished judgment, disorientation, pale and clammy skin, a rapid and weak pulse, and/or fast and shallow breathing may indicate heat exhaustion or impending heat stroke and require immediate medical attention.

Fire officials recommend several other ways to manage the heat:

Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
Drink water often, do not wait until you are thirsty, and avoid drinking alcohol
Offer help to those in your neighborhood with limited access to air conditioning and transportation, such as seniors or those who are ill. Check on them frequently or take them to a cooling center.
During peak heat hours stay in an air-conditioned area. If you don’t have air conditioning in your home, visit public facilities such as a cooling center, shopping malls, parks, and libraries to stay cool.
Avoid unnecessary exertion, such as vigorous exercise, if you are outside or in a non-air conditioned building.
Stay out of the sun if you don’t need to be in it. When in the sun, wear a hat, preferably with a wide brim.

For further information please contact the Pasadena Fire Department at (626) 744-7276