Who is Most Vulnerable to Heat Exhaustion?

CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. LABOR DAY IS KNOWN AS THE FINALS CELEBRATION OF SUMMER AND MANY GATHERINGS OVER THE WEEKEND WILL INCLUDE BACKYARD BARBECUES OR TRIPS TO THE BEACH. BUT FESTIVITIES IN FLORIDA COME WITH A RISK OF OVEREXPOSURE TO THE EXTREME HEAT. A RECENT STUDY FROM THE FLORIDA POLICY INSTITUTE SHOWS THAT ONE IN 4 FLORIDIANS ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO EXTREME HEAT AND MORE THAN 5800 FLORIDIANS VISIT EMERGENCY ROOMS FOR AILMENTS LIKE HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE EVERY YEAR. >> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS SOUTH FLORIDA REGION. >> JOHN BUCHANAN JOINS US IN STUDIO TODAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. >> JOHN, CAN YOU TELL US AS HEAD OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA? WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH THIS EXTREME HEAT AND ALL THESE HEAT ADVISORIES THAT WE ARE UNDER WAY. >> THE GREAT QUESTION ALL USUALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, IT'S HURRICANE WE'RE ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF THAT. BUT THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR, EVEN WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE OVERALL AVERAGE TEMPS WHICH UP POSES A LOT OF ISSUES FOR HEAT ILLNESS OR EXTREME HEAT STROKE. >> CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE DIFFERENCES ARE JUST GENERALLY BETWEEN THE 2? >> HEAT ILLNESS CAN MANIFEST A LOT OF WAYS. AND SO USUALLY IT SIGNALED BY CLAIM THE SKIN COLD, CLAMMY SKIN, EXCESSIVE HEAT IN A SWEATING, EWELLS CRAMP UP, YOU KNOW, HAVE THOSE CRAMPS THAT WILL LAST A WHILE. THE SIGNIFICANT FATIGUE AND THEN HEAT STROKE IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SEVERE WHERE IT'S DEBILITATING. YOU REALLY YOU'LL KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE THAT HEAT. STROKE VERSUS THE HEAT ILLNESS AND ITS IMMEDIATE MEDICAL CARE IS NECESSARY. ARE THERE SOME KEY WARNING SIGNS THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF? YEAH, DIZZINESS IS IS ONE. I THINK THAT COMES FIRST AND PEOPLE FEEL A LITTLE BIT LIGHT-HEADED OR DIZZY AND THEN A COURSE THAT PROFUSE OF SWEATING, THAT SWEATING THAT DOESN'T STOP LIKE TYPICALLY EVEN ONCE HERE, COOL YOURSELF DOWN. IT'S STILL CONTINUING ON. AND SO THEN IT DOES SIGNAL AND A FEW OTHER AREAS, TOO. SO LIKE WHEN YOU START HAVING THE CAR CRAMPS THAT THAT COME ON THOSE CRAMPS USUALLY ARE ANOTHER SIGN THAT HEAT ILLNESSES THAT PLAY IN YOUR LIFE. >> AND WHAT POPULATIONS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE. >> HE WILL NUSS. YES, OH, WELL, WE OF COURSE, HAVE THE OUTDOOR WORKERS AND THE ATHLETES RIGHT NOW. ITS PEAK FOOTBALL SEASON AND A NUMBER OF OTHER OUTDOOR SPORTS ARE TAKING PLACE. WE HAVE A ROBUST WORKFORCE THAT IS ACTIVELY WORKING OUTDOORS IN THOSE ARE THE MOST AT RISK IN OUR AREA OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BUT THEN ALSO WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE CONCERNED WITH THEIR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AND THEIR FITNESS HALL EXTEND THEIR OUT THERE EXERCISING, WALKING AND RUNNING AND DOING THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THAT'S GREAT FOR THEM TO DO. HOWEVER, IT DOES POSE A RISK TO THEIR HEALTH BECAUSE THE HEAT IS SO HIGH IN THE HUMIDITY LEVELS HIGH. AND I LOVE THAT THAT YOU TOUCHED ON SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY IS TO CHECK. >> ON RESIDENTS THAT WE MIGHT NOT NORMALLY GO UP AND KNOCK ON THEIR DOOR. MAYBE OLDER RESIDENTS OR SOMEONE THAT MIGHT BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE. WHY IS THAT? >> YEAH, WE SAY EMPHASIZE 3 THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO EXTREME HEAT AWARENESS IS STAY HYDRATED. STAY COOL. STAY CONNECTED IN THE CONNECTED PART IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WE CAN JUST GO THROUGH OUR LIFE AS WE TYPICALLY DO AND THINK EVERYTHING'S FINE. BUT HEAT ILLNESS CAN SNEAK UP ON YOU SO QUICKLY. YOU DON'T TYPICALLY SEE THE SIGNS UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT ESPECIALLY THE OLDER, MORE VULNERABLE POPULATION STAY CONNECTED WITH THEIR FAMILY OR LOVED ONES, THEIR FRIENDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE AT ALL TIMES DURING THE SEASON TO THE EXTREME HEAT. >> NOW, IS THERE A PARTICULAR TIME OF DAY THAT YOU'RE REALLY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO STAY >> INSIDE THE DURING THE PEAK OF THE HEAT FOR SURE. SO THAT USUALLY IS THAT EARLY AFTERNOON AND EVEN LATE INTO THE AFTERNOON, IT CAN STILL STAY PRETTY HIGH TEMP. SO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STAY COOL. STAY IN SHADE AND EVEN SIMPLE THINGS TO SOME. SOMETIMES FOLKS WHO RUN INTO A SITUATION WHERE THEY DON'T SEE WHERE THE MAYBE AIR CONDITIONING GOES OUT. THEY HAVE A POWER OUTAGE OR JUST WHEREVER THEY'RE AT THIS AND HAVE A C WELL, IN THOSE TIMES, IT MAY BE BETTER FOR SOMEBODY TO BE OUTDOORS RATHER THAN AN NON AIR-CONDITIONED INDOOR SPACE AND BE IN SHADE. BUT IT'S JUST BEING MINDFUL OF THOSE THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE YOU'RE OVER OVERCOME BY THAT EXTREME HEAT AND THEN WHAT KINDS OF RESOURCES DOES THE AMERICAN RED CROSS PROVIDE FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS? ABSOLUTELY. EDUCATION IS A BIG PART. OF COURSE, WE'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE. THEN WHAT WE DO. WE REALLY WORK WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS. OUR PARTNERS FOCUS REALLY HAS 3 AREAS. HEALTH, HUNGER AND HOUSING AND THROUGH OUR WIDE ARRAY OF PARTNERSHIPS, WE ARE A RESOURCE TO THOSE THAT ARE IN NEED OF WHATEVER SERVICE, NOT JUST SOMETHING AS A RESULT OF HEAT ILLNESS, BUT WILL CONNECT THEM WITH THE APPROPRIATE PARTNERS THROUGH 2, 1, 1, IS UNITED WAY'S HOTLINE. WE HAVE RESOURCES THAT WE PROVIDE OCCASIONALLY WILL OPEN UP. COOLING STATIONS WILL WORK WITH THE LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WHO MAY HAVE COOLING STATIONS THAT THEY OPEN UP IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO TO IN CASE THEY ARE IN THE SITUATION AT HOME WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING OR THEY'RE SUFFERING FROM EXTREME HEAT OR IN THE CASE OF HOMELESSNESS, EVEN. ALL RIGHT. THANKS FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO. GREAT TIPS PUSHING THAT MUCH ON LETTERMAN