Heat Index remarks

[scrufmonst]

I have a fefw parents that are concerned about the heat index this weekend for a comapout. The question i have is ....
Does BSA have any words that talk to heat index and possibly canceling a camp out. besides the obvious of, use common sence, stay hydrated, stay in the shade.......

YIS, YiWB

Scott

[wagionvigil]

That is about it. But those that were at the Jamboree in 2005 know what can happen. When the HI hit the danger zone all activities stopped. Except Water activities

[scrufmonst]

THanks for the info and i remember that summer !!!!

YIS
Scott

[FrankJ]

It is barely June & you are worried about heat? I wouldn't cancel a troop event because of health concerns & heat, but you do need to be prepared. By the time a scout get to first class he should know what to do. Drink water, use sun screen & light clothing, be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion & sun stroke, and my personal favorite, take siestas in the heat of the day.

[pipestone1991]

It is barely June & you are worried about heat?

I'm in Ohio and it's 91 degrees right now so I can assume it's about 110 in Georgia . Seriously though, drink TONs of water (make sure every scout has a Nalgene/cantene filled with water at all times) and if you are hiking, change your socks every couple of hours.

[wagionvigil]

We arelloking at 94 today in SW PA and Over 90 tomorrow. WE are having our June OA weekend this weekend and All the camp tents MUST be set up plus all the grass MUST be cut as we are hosting Conclave next weekend. I will spend all day tomorrow getting the Rappel tower ready as I have a Program with a Police Unit On Monday.

[AquilaNegra2]

Send some of that sunshine our way . Sons #1 and #2 are currently at a camporee -- 48 degrees and pouring rain.

[riverwalk]

Another way to put it, is that if you know they aren't "prepared", maybe a different outing is in order? The location around the Nation isn't the key factor, as much as personal condition probably. Many youth AND us Scouters arrive at Summer outings, poorly hydrated. It's a National issue, pronounced in Scouting I think, because we see many youth out for an extended period. It's likely that if they become heat injured or sick at camp, they showed up poorly hydrated.

While it's important to work in the precautions when conditions are right, it's just good to get acclimated first as well

[LSR]

Send some of that sunshine our way . Sons #1 and #2 are currently at a camporee -- 48 degrees and pouring rain.

Where? The North Pole? I've been to Winter events down here that were warmer than that! We do have the rain part in common however!

[AquilaNegra2]

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's not considered 'cold' unless it's below freezing. Our guys are either well-versed in cold-weather camping or they learn the hard way. I think cold is easier to deal with than heat, though. You can always put on more clothes -- there's a limit to how much you can take off.

[pipestone1991]

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's not considered 'cold' unless it's below freezing. Our guys are either well-versed in cold-weather camping or they learn the hard way. I think cold is easier to deal with than heat, though. You can always put on more clothes -- there's a limit to how much you can take off.

I looked at thePac. NW's temps.....I'm glad I'm in Ohio

[joat]

What's a heat index? Is there a thermometer for that?

[scouter01]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_index

[milominderbinder2]

That is about it. But those that were at the Jamboree in 2005 know what can happen. When the HI hit the danger zone all activities stopped. Except Water activities

The big digital roadside signs coming into AP Hill in 2005 said:

Hydrate or Die

Almost 1,000 people were treated. One adult died of a heart attack probably due to the heat. I can't count how many cases of heat exaustion I saw. One case of heat stroke I treated was bad but I found out later he made it.

Hydration is the important advice. By the time you feel thirsty you are already starting to dehydrate. Drink enough that you have to go to the restroom at least once an hour. Even in normal conditions in our homes, we average half the water we need.

1. Make sure everyone is trained in heat related first aid.
2. Encourage LOTS of water, twice what they want.
3. Encourage the use of Camelbacks.
4. Use good sun block.
5. Keep in the shade as possible.
6. Take rest stops and reduce activity.
7. Make sure the parents know that it is their choice if their son comes along.

Also, help your parents and Scouts to remember this. Until 50 years ago almost no one had A/C. Scout uniforms were wool. Socks were heavy, knee-highs with garters. And summer was just another season.

- Craig

[smtroop168]

But there was no global warming back then.

[FrankJ]

In the seventies, green house gasses were causing global cooling.

[riverwalk]

It's good that parents are interested in such a thing. Take this as an opportunity to help the whole Troop family with some health education. Most folks in our Land are probably improperly hydrated. Kinda hard to totally prepare for an event like the coming weekend activities, though many opportunities exist to hydrate them and monitor their status. It serves us well to recognize that many arriving to Camp (short or long term) may already be suffereing effects of heat stress (and poor hydration). Part of your oversight as a Scouter is watching for any signs of illness, which includes the various heat emergencies.

[USMA_Eagle]

In small groups, maintaining unit control through direct supervision is effective. For larger groups with less ability to supervise, you may want to get a wet-bulb thermometer to actually monitor the heat index ( http://www.ambientweather.com/abab10140.html , for instance) and then use the table (as someone already pointed out, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_index has a good example) to dictate levels of clothing and activity levels.

The Army has a good system for doing this in training environments (heat levels based on heat indices), and wouldn't be out of place in Boy Scout encampments as well. It's a quantifiable way to make sure that everyone's being taken care of in terms of hydration and activity. See:

http://www.usarak.army.mil/ncoa/ncotool ... 0Index.pdf


Check it out-- I think you'll like it.

Regards,
Paul
http://www.scoutspirit.com

[bnelso]

Here is another heat index card that I put together. Some of it is based upon the Army's card. It uses apparent temperature instead of wet bulb temps since most Boy Scout units don't have or know how to use wet bulb thermometers.

http://bsatroop14.com/outdoor/Desert-Su ... -Guide.pdf

More heat related information is here:
http://www.bsatroop14.com/outdoor/Desert-Survival/

Other outdoor resources are here:
http://www.bsatroop14.com/outdoor

[Reasonable Rascal]

I haven't had any problems with this the past few years (knock on wood), but then the Scoutmaster isn't shy about threatening the boys with proctoclysis as a means of emergent rehydration.

clysis
[klī′sis]
Etymology: Gk, klyster, washout
the nonoral insertion or injection of a fluid into tissue spaces, the rectum, or the abdominal cavity, such as the administration of an enema. It is used when IV access is not possible. Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

They know I am serious when I tell them the camp nurse is actually there to save them from me.

I am big proponent of appropriate fluid and electrolyte replacement, and the boys know it. Being a Paramedic-Specialist (it's an Iowa thing) and an RN as well as something of a nominal expert on wilderness medicine - I'm actually published, and we [the other authors and I] are working on the 3rd edition of the work - and I take the well-being of my charges very seriously.

RR