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Feeling hot? Looking at heat related illness

The basics of heat related illness.

While on expedition or even in the park on a Sunday afternoon playing with the kids. Heat related illness is a risk that shouldn’t be under estimated. You’ll note that it is call heat related not Sun related. It is often the ambient temperature that is the cause. If the ambient temperature is similar to or above the body’s temperature, then the body may have trouble cooling itself. High humidity may prevent sweat from evaporating, one of the main processes for cooling.


Mild heart related illness often goes undetected and people with headaches after a day running around in the sun; are told to go and sleep it off. Being told “You must be tired!”

Like most things prevention is better than cure. But acting soon is paramount if you suspect a heat related illness. 

Prevention:

-Wide brim hat, keeps the direct sun off the top of the head and neck and shoulders.

-Cover skin,

-Breaks in shade, Give the body a chance to catch up. (The temperature difference in the shade can be as much as 10 degrees.)

-Water little and often. Sip water they will be losing water at a high rate even in humid conditions.


But if your advice goes unheeded you need to be able to recognise the symptoms and treat accordingly. Below is a basic aid to help you recognise what could be going on. But remember to get them to a cooler place and seek medical advice.


Heat exhaustion:

loss of salts and water from body it develops gradually, from being in the sun or a hot place for extended periods.


Signs & Symptoms;                         Treatment;

-Dizziness                                       -Remove the person to a cool place

-Pale and Sweating                     -Replace lost fluids and salt                           

-Headache                                    -Raise and support legs

-Cramps                                        -Rest


Heatstroke

Failure of the bodies thermostat to regulate the bodies temperature.

Body heats up rapidly


Signs & Symptoms;                           Treatment;

-Dizzy                                                 -Remove to cool place

-Headache                                      -Remove outer clothing

-Body temp 38°c+                         -fan and mist

-skin, hot, flushed & Dry                -Medical advice is required

Sunburn;

Skin burns due to prolonged exposure to sun


Signs & Symptoms;                                               Treatment;

-Redness of skin                                            -Shade

-Blister and peeling (later stages             -Cool area (water or after sun NO oily substances)

-Cool drink (little and often)


Be aware sunburn may lead to heatstroke or heat exhaustion 


Want to learn more? What about the cold?
4 December 2024
A quick story time from the weekend about why having a trained first aider in a group is a great idea. This weekend one of our instructors was out in the Suffolk countryside with a mixed group of friends and strangers. As they began their walk, they hadn’t made it more than a couple of paces when one of the older gentlemen in the group went sheet white, became weak, collapsed on the ground and started vomiting. The gentleman's son was with him, caught him as he fell and called out for help. Thankfully, our instructor was within shouting distance and was the only trained first aider in the group, in fact he is a community first responder, so he had with him in his truck an oxygen tank, defibrillator and every piece of kit a first responder would need. He quickly got the gentlemen assessed taking his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and asked him about any past medical conditions that may be relevant. He did an assessment, used his training to ascertain whether an ambulance was needed or whether the kit he had with him was sufficient. Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t needed but the gentleman was taken home and is feeling much better. It made us think, here in the office, that while this situation did not need an ambulance if the first aider had not been there, it would have been a scary situation for everyone because no one there really knew what to do for the best. The moral of the story is that the benefit of completing first aid training is that you never know when your skills as a trained first aider may be able to help a friend or a stranger. It is also important that anyone who has been trained in any level of first aid should carry some essential kit with them. Some useful things in a basic first aid kit would be: A couple of pairs of gloves Sterile wipes Medical tape Scissors Tweezers Gauze Resuscitation face shield Plasters Sterile bandage Triangular bandage Eye wash Emergency foil blanket Whistle (especially if you are going for walks in remote areas) Who is the best first aid training company in Suffolk? Well, this is an easy answer and here are some reasons why. Our MD is an award winning first aid instructor who has real life experience in emergency situations. We teach our Outdoor First Aid course outdoors under a parachute in the middle of Sutton Hoo Woodland. We teach all levels of first aid from basic first aid training up to the more advanced First Responder on Scene level. At the end of our higher level first aid courses in Suffolk, we use a local charity, Casualties Union, who provide actors to re-create scenarios for our learners to put into practice all their first aid training. Our instructors talk through kit requirements on all our first aid courses whether we are training you in Suffolk or at your premises, ensuring the kit is relevant to your needs. Our first aid courses are not boring! Many people dread doing a first aid course because they have a stigma of being boring and just listening to a PowerPoint presentation for six hours stuck in a classroom, being taught by someone who doesn’t actively have any real-life experience. That's not us, we get you involved, get you interacting with the equipment, pass on knowledge from real life emergencies and make it enjoyable. We offer first aid kits of varying sizes and for different requirements. Our most popular choice is a DAC mini Ouch Pouch which is the perfect pocket sized first aid kit. Is it time for you to book a first aid training course in Suffolk? Any time is a great time to complete a first aid course, and we would love to train you. Gatherings are more common at this time of year with Christmas shopping in full swing the high streets are busier, markets are full and places where crowds gather can become a hot spot for accidents, injuries or exacerbation of underlying medical conditions. We run first aid training throughout the year with open courses that anyone can join. Many of our first aid training courses are in Suffolk but we do travel nationwide as well. We would like to encourage all those who have taken a first aid course with DAC Education, or indeed, with any first aid training company in Suffolk or beyond, please do ensure that when you are out and about your skills and knowledge are not wasted and please carry with you even just a basic first aid kit. It's better to carry one and not need it, than to need it and not have one.
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