HOT weather and OUR safety

[Guest Firediver]

With the hot weather upon us we need to make sure we take care of ourselves and hydrate hydrate hydrate!!!! Try and stay away from too much joe, its a diuretic. Clear non-carbonated liquids throughout the day are your best bet. A good mix is 80/20 of water to powerade/gatorade to sip all day and straight gatorade/powerade after strenuous activities (ie calls/runs). If you have a couple of bottles of water throw them on the rig at the beginning of your shift b/c we never know how long we'll be out of the barn. If there is no need for turnout coat take it off or at least open up the chest. WE CAN NOT BE OF ANY GOOD IF WE ARE OUT OF THE FIGHT!! Did I mention to HYDRATE? I've had heat stroke once before and its no fun. Remember.... HYDRATE!

[16fire5 693]

Junior guy should make sure the cooler has ice in it the start of each tour.

[Guest Firediver]

Don't forget the Senior man's favorite flavor of Gatorade! HAHA

[Remember585 815]

Take note - not only of yourself but your colleagues - of anyone who doesn't appear to be sweating, is red in the face or complains of cramping. This could be early warning signs of heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. Other symptoms to look out for include dizzyness, fatigue, confusion, altered mental status, high body temperature, nausea and headaches.

It may be 90 degrees out with 90% humidity, which means it feels like it is over 120 degrees! Factor in the time in the heat, the weight of your gear, etc. and your body is not going to hold up for long. As Firediver said - HYDRATE!

Here's a heat index chart I found online that I use in training:

[jack10562 414]

This chart is a good visual reminder that we can get into the RED zone very easily.

Add exertion and 40 pounds of gear, it gets dangerous, fast.

Be safe out there!

[FiftyOnePride 100]

When I am working, it is usually one gatorade after my first major sweat of the day and water before and afterwards. It is easy to get bogged down with the mugginess and heat, be careful everyone - and don't lock your knees.

[M' Ave 1,466]

Whats wrong with doing it yourself?

Team effort! So whos bringing the slushes?

Because it's the JUNIOR guys job. And definitely not the bosses!

[spin_the_wheel 460]

It's important for all departments to have a rehab policy in place, we have a dedicated van we use as a rehab unit for all working fires. The van also goes out to the fire school with companies and on any drills that the Officer requests it at. Any departments have a "dress down" signal for those really hot days? A signal the IC can use to tell the incoming units no scba required and you can take off the turnout coat.

For volunteer Depts that have class B exterior only firefighters, I have always felt these members should still be able to use hip boots. I know many will argue this, but most of the time its people who have never used them. I see no reason why exterior firefighters should have to wear bunker bottoms...any other thoughts?

Stay safe.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

A couple of other points to remember:

When you take the heat index...add 10 degrees for turnout gear and another 10 degrees if you are in direct sunlight. Temps in the 80's can give you heat indexes 100 or above when operating with turnout gear on.

The best indicator of potential heat stress in firefighters is temperature..NOT vital signs. Vitals can be normal but body core temp can increase. This is a change in prior texts who stressed vitals. Not that they aren't important...but nothing indicates risk of overexertion in regard to heat/cold then temperature. Tympanic thermometers work well. They are not super accurate, but no thermometer is and god knows no one is gonna get me to take a rectal conscious. lol.

Current studies show forearm immersion as the best method to cool down body core temp. Misting fans make outer skin feel good and will help cool body core temp but not as efficiently or effectively as forearm immersion. Also AC is not a good cooling method at all. It can actually cause more damage as your brain will think your body is cold and constrict peripheral blood vessels and body core temp will increase. Same goes if you make the water too cold in mister fans. Ever get goose bumps when walking into an AC environment on a hot day? That is your bodies response to cold, but if you body core temp is up...it will continue to rise as your blood vessels are constricted and you cannot release heat from your skin.

Also most texts recommend a 50/50 blend of sports drink to water ratio and that is for later in operations. In our western diets there is plenty of sodium to go around. The problem is the sugar content. Your body rids itself of sugar partly through exhalation and mostly through urination. It will pull fluids from your tissues to handle a spike in blood glucose. I recommend starting with the 50/50.

[16fire5 693]

Whats wrong with doing it yourself?

Spoken like the junior guy

[Guest Firediver]

Not to confuse anyone I will K.I.S.S. as best I can.

Two main factors affect the speed at which fluid from a drink gets into the body:

-the speed at which it is emptied from the stomach (faster is better)

-the rate at which it is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine

Also the amount of fluid in your stomach at the time. Some= faster, None= real slow and it won't matter what type of drink it is it(Hypo,Iso,Hyper).

There are 3 classes sports drinks fall into Hypotonic, Isotonic and Hypertonic.

Hypotonic-(example- WATER) best for rapid hydration, lacks electrolytes but is NOT optimum for exertion >30min

Isotonic- (example- Gatorade/Powerade (reg NOT the lower calorie versions) absorbed slower than Hypotonic, replenishes fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates BEST if diluted for exertion greater than 30min

Hypertonic- (example- fruit juices) best for AFTER exertion as it boosts glycogen stores (leave it back at the barn), much slower absorbtion and may cause cramping or bloating, NOT good at all to drink during exertion

Red Bull, Rockstar, AMP etc. is ALL CRAP!!! ZERO nutritional value. If you are feeling sluggish and do not drink coffee reach for some fruit with a lower glycemic index (<55),with the exception of watermelons and pineapple(72/65) most prefer oranges(42). Eating the orange will give a more sustained fuel due to the fibrous breakdown as opposed to drinking a fruit juice. A low glycemic index cause a slow n steady rise in blood sugar and need only a small amount of insulin to bring down sugar to normal levels. A High glycemic index(>69) causes greater rise in blood sugar followed by sudden decrease as insulin tries to bring the sugar level down to normal, the problem is the insulin comes on so strong that it will eventually push blood glucose BELOW normal levels.Oh yeah....... HYDRATE!

I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

[mfc2257 464]

I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

On the floor right now... Thats great.

Now I know why the smart soccer moms used to bring sliced oranges for after practice & games...

[shac 7313 0]

With the hot weather upon us we need to make sure we take care of ourselves and hydrate hydrate hydrate!!!! Try and stay away from too much joe, its a diuretic. Clear non-carbonated liquids throughout the day are your best bet. A good mix is 80/20 of water to powerade/gatorade to sip all day and straight gatorade/powerade after strenuous activities (ie calls/runs). If you have a couple of bottles of water throw them on the rig at the beginning of your shift b/c we never know how long we'll be out of the barn. If there is no need for turnout coat take it off or at least open up the chest. WE CAN NOT BE OF ANY GOOD IF WE ARE OUT OF THE FIGHT!! Did I mention to HYDRATE? I've had heat stroke once before and its no fun. Remember.... HYDRATE!

well said thank you !!!

[Guest Firediver]

well said thank you !!!

Yup. Just a friendly reminder thats all.(and a little hydration knowledge)

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Firediver...excellent convo brother. I also have to add one more to the junk list. Vitamin water...loaded with sugar which can again..also cause dehydration and give you a blood glucose spike.

[wraftery 1,275]

One more tip: When you go out the door in rubber boots and Bunkers, throw your shoes on the rig. When you take a blow (that's old guy talk for Rehab) you can drop your bunkers and let the wind cool you off. Even if you are wearing leather boots, an old pair of shoes on the rig wouldn't hurt. It feels pretty good to kick those work boots off to cool down..

PS And you know who you are. I said Shoes...not the pink bunny slippers you wear at nite!

[M' Ave 1,466]

Firediver...excellent convo brother. I also have to add one more to the junk list. Vitamin water...loaded with sugar which can again..also cause dehydration and give you a blood glucose spike.

This is an excellent point. Same thing is true with Gatorade to some degree. It has more sugar than you'll need. Maybe you pour out half the bottle and fill it with water. Really though, lots and lots of water is all you need.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

PS And you know who you are. I said Shoes...not the pink bunny slippers you wear at nite!

[Guest Firediver]

With the barrage of fires these past couple of days I can not stress the importance of STAYING HYDRATED enough. Granted with the equipment load we carry, our PPE and on top of that our duties (depending on riding assignment) there is nothing that can change that but we still need to be cautious in respect to our bodies. I failed to mention for all the fitness/workout buffs that maybe it would behoove you to take your scheduled duty day off from training as to not unnecessarily tax your body that day. When you come out to take a blow, try and open or take off as much as you can. Stay Low.

[FFBlaser 24]

With the barrage of fires these past couple of days I can not stress the importance of STAYING HYDRATED enough. Granted with the equipment load we carry, our PPE and on top of that our duties (depending on riding assignment) there is nothing that can change that but we still need to be cautious in respect to our bodies. I failed to mention for all the fitness/workout buffs that maybe it would behoove you to take your scheduled duty day off from training as to not unnecessarily tax your body that day. When you come out to take a blow, try and open or take off as much as you can. Stay Low.

Also Keep In mind if your drinking almost freezing cold liquid it takes longer for your body to process it.

[psyanide 11]

A very good example for this thread is yesterday's Queens fire in Rego Park where 17 FF were injured and "were mostly heat exhaustion-related."

"These last couple days have been a tough stretch for the FDNY. We've had several multiple-alarm fires where firefighters are put under extremely punishing conditions," said Sudnik. "What we try to do with these situations is try to relieve, rotate our personnel as quickly as possible, to try to relieve some of the heat stress placed upon them. These are very, very difficult conditions to work under." - Deputy Assistant Chief John Sudnik

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/121696/queens-apartment-blaze-injures-17-firefighters

Be safe.

[Guest Firediver]

Really though, lots and lots of water is all you need.

[/quote

I missed this earlier. No it's NOT all you need especially in this heat (SOME is OK). Water does not provide the body with sodium which helps the body hold onto the fluid and delivers it to key places such as muscles and blood.

Yes Nate, you are correct about the icy cold water. Also, try and avoid chugging any fluid, You can actually cause the body to lose fluid. Drinking a lot of water sends a signal to the kidneys that there's some excess fluid in the blood and blocks the anti-diuretic hormone (vasopressin) which would help you hold on to water resulting in urination.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Firediver