Preventing heat-related illness during high temperatures

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Emergency medical professionals said even minutes outside in extreme heat can impact your body, but added that everyone reacts differently.

Dr. Daniel Bachmann with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center said heat exhaustion symptoms can be as simple as tiredness, headache, dizziness and vomiting. He said it's just important to be aware of what your body is telling you.

“It's about paying attention to what some of the advisories, you know, we'll tell you,” he said. “So, for instance, just like in the cold, where we limit our time or the prolonged time when we're outside, we need to do the same thing in heat. So if you have to be outside for work or for other reasons, you need to have intermittent or interval time inside, or at least in a cooler environment.”

Bachmann said it’s important to stay hydrated. He said there isn’t a set amount of water to drink for every person because it depends on what you are doing; if you are working outside in the heat, you should drink about a quart of water an hour to replace the fluids you lost from sweating.

“Water is tough because of the humidity,” he said. “One of the main mechanisms for cooling for the body is sweating and by sweating, you lose a lot of fluids, which means that you need to replace those fluids with water or other, you know, a similar type of fluid.”

The heat doesn’t just impact humans; it is also impacting our pets. Veterinarians said the heat can cause problems fast if you are not cautious.

Veterinarian Dr. Emily Stambaugh with Ohio State University’s Spectrum of Care Clinic said there are signs that your pet is too hot.

She said if you are going to walk your dog on the pavement, do it during morning and night hours, and that grass is a cooler alternative for midday.

Stambaugh said even just minutes of constant heat can cause your pet to overheat.

“The biggest things I would really be looking out for this week with all of this heat is I would make sure you're not noticing any excessive panting, making sure that, you know, you're not noticing any type of lethargy or just really inactivity inside and indoors, making sure that you're having water available at all times,” she said. “It's really, really going to be important with all of this heat.”

Stambaugh said putting an ice cube in your pets' water can help them cool down and it can be fun for them. She said you can also take your dog swimming, but be sure they know how to swim before just letting them go in. She said there are life jackets available for pets.

If your pet is experiencing any of the heat-related symptoms or an increased heart rate, take them to the vet immediately.

The City of Columbus will be opening five cooling centers Wednesday for people to escape from the heat. They plan to keep the centers open until the heat subsides.

The centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The locations include Dodge, Driving Park, Glennwood, Linden, and Marion Franklin community centers. Columbus Recreation and Parks said these centers are all about relaxing.

To help beat the heat, the city is also waiving admission fees to city pools and extending ours from 1 p.m. to 8 pm.

Kenton Curtis Jr, the assistant director of Columbus Recreation and Parks, expects it to get busy and there are capacity limits.

“They have to make sure that they have the right number of swim goers as relates to swimmers, and so there may be a waiting period. So just be patient and take advantage of the spray ground,” Curtis said.

He said if you do find yourself in a line try to wait for your turn in your air conditioned car or at a splash pad.

Curtis said all of the staff is trained in basic first aid if you do have a heat emergency at that time. If it is a serious emergency, he said to call 911.