ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County safety officials are sharing tips to keep kids safe as they head back to school in the intense Florida heat.
“We have to pace ourselves and recognize the signs and symptoms and get out of the heat before it is too late,” said Orange County Fire Rescue Capt. Christian Radeon.
Radeon said keeping water bottles full is an important part of staying safe in this heat, especially when it comes to after-school outdoor practices.
“It’s hard to catch up once we’re dehydrated,” Radeon said. “So just making sure our children are drinking plenty of water at home and staying hydrated — and continuing to drink throughout the day at school and after school when they have activities.”
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He said it’s a good idea for parents to educate their children on the importance of taking a break when they need to.
“Teach them to pace themselves when they’re doing outside activities, whether that’s sports or band or cheerleading or anything like that,” Radeon said. “If they start feeling bad, they need to let a teacher, or their coach know so they can get indoors for the air conditioning.”
He said if a student is participating in an outside activity, it’s better to let a teacher or coach know you’re feeling bad sooner rather than later.
“It’s always better to be proactive with that than to have a fainting episode on the field or have a medical emergency where we need to get involved,” Radeon said.
Radeon suggests a couple of back-to-school items you might not think of right away like a refillable water bottle or a cooling towel.
“Buying your child their own water bottle, letting them bring it to school so they can just drink continuously through the day,” Radeon said. “Cooling towels are good.”
Radeon said it’s also important to teach your children the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness which he said includes cramping, excessive, sweating, headaches and feeling nauseated.
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