Professionals - Heatwaves - Response

1. e-Learning in Heat waves
Professionals

2. Response
In the following, you will be presented with information on
how to respond:
• During a Heat wave:
• How to convey knowledge and information to other stakeholders.
• How to implement the plan of action.
• How to look after yourself.
• After (recovery):
• How to Implement recovery plans.
• How to convey knowledge and information to other stakeholders.
• Awareness of the dangers after a natural disaster.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
2

3. During the response
During a heat wave, you can help others to get
more safely through it. The following are some
ideas of how to help a person at risk of serious
health effects from hot weather during a heat
wave.
For the person you can:
• Check that they’re drinking plenty of water –
encourage them if necessary and place water
in the fridge. A good way to check whether
they are drinking enough is to get them to
check the colour of their urine. If it is pale,
they are drinking enough.
• Check that they know who to contact if extra
care and support is needed.
• Talk to their family and friends and let them
know how to best support their family
member.
• If you think they’re not coping arrange a visit
to their GP for them.
• Check that they have a care plan with
information on how much they should drink
(especially if the person is on a fluid
restriction). If the information is not there, call
their GP to discuss.
• Check that they have enough food for the next
few days and if not, help them to arrange this.
• Check that they are wearing light, loose-
fitting clothing.
• Check that they have cool packs in the fridge
or else cool wet cloths available.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
3

4. During the response
• Watch the video on the next slide for tips for coping in Heatwaves
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
4

5. Help others
• Consider offering to take them to
a cool place like a shopping
centre, library or cinema.
• Remind them to do household
chores early in the morning
before the weather gets hot.
• Encourage them to pursue
activities that are easily done
indoors such as reading, sewing,
listening to radio programs.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
6

6. Help others
For the house or apartment you can encourage
them to:
• Check that the fridge, freezer, fan and air-
conditioner work properly and that the air-
conditioner is set to cool.
• Close windows, curtains, blinds and shutters
early in the day before the weather gets hot.
• Arrange for or remind them to ventilate their
room or home as soon as the temperature
outside drops, e.g. in the late evening or early
in the morning.
• Spend most of their time in the coolest room in
the house during very hot weather.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
7

7. Heat-related illnesses
Heat-related illness includes dehydration, heat
cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and worsening
of existing medical conditions.
If you have a medical condition such as heart disease,
diabetes, or kidney disease and if you take certain
medications, heat can make your symptoms worse.
No matter what heat-related illness, the best way to
prevent it is to drink plenty of water and to stay as
cool as possible.
Some illnesses or conditions can occur as a direct
result of excessive heat, such as heat rash, cramps,
exhaustion, heat stroke and exertion heat stroke.
However worsening of chronic conditions
contributes to the majority of heat-related morbidity
and mortality.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
8

8. Heat-related illnesses
• Watch the video on the next slide to see how your body responds to
Heatwaves
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
9

9. Heat-related illnesses
Dehydration
Even mild dehydration leads to an increased risk of injury, heat stress and poorer
performance of complex tasks. Cardiac levels are increased by mild to moderate
dehydration and can lead to reduced fluid available for sweating. A person can
sweat up to 15 litres per day and it is important to note that thirst does not match
fluids lost by sweating, even when fluids are freely taken.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
11
Symptoms What to do – first aid
• Dizziness
• Tiredness
• Irritability
• Thirst
• Bright or dark yellow urine
• Loss of appetite
• Fainting
• Drink plenty of water or diluted fruit juice (1 part juice in 4 parts
water). Avoid tea, coffee or alcohol
• Move somewhere cool, ideally somewhere air-conditioned
• If possible, use a spray bottle of water to cool yourself down
• If you start to feel unwell, seek medical advice

10. Heat-related illnesses
Heat cramps
Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity
such as sport, work or gardening in hot weather. The sweating causes the
body to lose salt and water. Low salt level in the muscles may be the cause of
heat cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
12
Symptoms What to do – first aid
• Muscle pains or spasms • Stop all activity and lie in a cool place, legs slightly raised
• Drink water or diluted fruit juice (1 part juice in 4 parts water)
• Have a cool shower or bath
• Massage your limbs to ease spasms and apply cool packs
• Do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps
subside (exertion may lead to heat exhaustion/heat stroke)

11. Heat-related illnesses
Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt contained in
sweat. Those most at risk of developing heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with
chronic diseases, and people working or exercising in a hot environment. If heat exhaustion
is not treated it can turn into heat stroke.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
13
Symptoms What to do – first aid
• Heavy sweating (cool and moist
skin)
• Pale skin
• Fast and weak pulse rate
• Breathing fast and shallow
• Muscle weakness or cramps
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fainting
• Move to a cool place, if possible to an air-conditioned room and lie down
• Remove excess clothing
• Take small sips of cool fluids
• Cool shower, bath or sponge bath
• Put cool packs under armpits, on the groin or on the back of the neck to reduce body heat
• If symptoms worsen or if there is no improvement, seek urgent medical advice and call an
ambulance if necessary

12. Heat-related illnesses
Heat stroke
The body temperature is not controlled properly in a person with heat stroke. It occurs when the body
temperature rises above 40.5°C. Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency. Immediate first aid is very
important and the aim is to lower body temperature as quickly as possible.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
14
Symptoms What to do – first aid
• A sudden rise in body temperature
• Pale skin
• Red, hot and dry skin (sweating has
stopped)
• Dry, swollen tongue
• Rapid pulse
• Rapid shallow breathing
• Intense thirst
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion, poor coordination or slurred
speech
• Aggressive or bizarre behaviour
• Los of consciousness
• Seizures or coma
• Immediately call 999 (or relevant national emergency numbers) and ask for an ambulance
• Get the person in to the shade, lay them down and keep them as still as possible
• Give small sips of cool fluids if conscious and able to drink
• Bring their temperature down using any method available (sponging with cool water, cool shower, spraying
with cool water from the garden hose or soaking clothes with cool water
• Put cool pack under armpits, on the groin or on the back of the neck to reduce body heat
• Do not give aspirin or paracetamol; they do not help and might be harmful
• If unconscious, lay the person on their side (recovery position) and check they can breathe properly
• Perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if needed

13. Heat-related illnesses
Heat stroke
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
15

14. Heat-related illnesses
• Watch the video on the next slide to see what happens when you get
Heat Stroke
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
16

15. Heat-related illnesses
The majority of heat-related morbidity and mortality is due to worsening of existing chronic
conditions. The following conditions contribute to the most common causes of death during a heat
wave:
• Cardiac events
• Asthma or other respiratory illness
• Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Nervous system diseases
• Cancer
Dehydration and subsequent medication toxicity may worsening the following conditions:
• Altered mental state
• Kidney stones
• Cardiovascular impairment
• Falls
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
18

16. Heat-related illnesses
Heat and medication
A number of prescribed medications can
increase the risk of heat-related illness. Also,
some medications can be less effective or more
toxic when exposed to and stored in high
temperatures.
Most medications need to be stored below
25°C or in the fridge if indicated. This applies
particularly to antibiotics, adrenergic drugs,
insulin, analgesics and sedatives.
It is important for health professionals to
discuss the correct use and storage of
medications with people who take regular
prescription medications as part of their care
plan for hot weather.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
19

17. Accidents
Fires
As mentioned before climate change influences the rise in the environmental
temperature. Starting from the end of year 1800 the average air temperature
on Earth has risen 0.74°C.
The warming process develops differently in different areas of the Earth: in
tropics – slower: in middle and polar latitudes – faster.
Heat waves and droughts happen more frequently and last longer. The last
decade (2002-2011 years) was particularly hot. Drought and heat waves are
causing more and more fires of forests, peat lands and grass.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
20
Drought
High
temperature
Low
humidity
High fire risk Forest fires

18. Accidents
Forest fires
For more than 500 years, the number
of forest fires has risen 10 times.
Every year around 400,000 forest
fires occur in different places of the
Earth. They destroy or damage
around 0.5 percent of the total forest
area.
The increase in forest fires is
associated with an increase in the
number of people, with an
intensifying advanced tourism
industry and great increase in areas
of uncultivated land.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
21

19. Accidents
• Watch the video on the next slide to see what Climate Change looks
like
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
22

20. Accidents
In order to be properly prepared for forest fires
prediction or forecasting is important.
The main purpose of forecasting forest fires is to
predict the likelihood of fire according to
meteorological variables; the amount of rainfall,
air temperature, and relative humidity.
In Lithuania for example forest fires are
predicted by the Complex fire (fire hazard) rate.
It is based on two types of temperature; the air
temperature and the dew point. Then the
indicator are adjusted with respect to the
amount of rainfall.
The complex index is calculated daily
throughout the period when the forest fires may
occur.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
24

21. Accidents
Underground or peaty soil fires can cause
the ignition of the organic part of the soil.
Almost all large fires in peat lands appear
and rise due to extreme weather conditions;
droughts or heat waves.
During an intense drought, flammable
material dries not only on the surface of the
land and below it, but also in forest areas
which are usually the barriers for spreading
the fire (river valleys, swamps, and other
highly humid areas).
The probability of fires increases in dry
seasons and the possibility of firefighting
decreases. It is very difficult to extinguish
fires in swampy forests during the drought
where there are large stocks of organic
matter.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
25

22. Accidents
Underground fires usually spread
very slowly and extinguishing them
can be difficult.
The best way to prevent fires in
peatlands is to conserve them in their
natural state, with particular
attention paid to appropriate land-
uses and sustainable forest
management. This means preventing
draining and coversion of peat areas.
The preventing of fires in peat lands
can be done through prohibition of
use of any fire in peat soils.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
26

23. Accidents
Drowning
Heat waves not only increase the risk of forest
fires and fires of open places, but also lead to an
increase in the number of people drowning.
During the summer each year, especially when
the air temperature rises significantly, the
number of drowning victims increases.
Despite the fact that every year rescuers asks
people to be careful in the water. Most often
children between 5 and 14 years old are victims
of drowning.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
27

24. Accidents
The main reasons of drowning:
• The use of alcohol
• Ignorance of alerts and prohibitions to swim
• Children left unattended
• Overestimated strength and ability to swim
• Careless behavior in water (jumping into the water at unfamiliar
waters, etc.)
The main rules for water safety:
• Do not drink fluids that contain alcohol
• Do not swim in strongly waving seas
• You should not leave children unattended
• Do not swim or jump in water that is in unfamiliar or in remote
areas
• Do not swim immediately after meals
• If you are being overheated in the sun, do not jump into cold water
suddenly.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
28

25. Accidents
During heat waves lots of people tend to spend
their free time close to open waters and
unfortunately they drown more frequently than
usual.
If you see a drowning man:
• Call the emergency number 999
• Try to shout and draw attention of the
surrounding people especially lifeguards
• Look around for any rescue or lifebelt
measures (rescue wheel, boat, mattress, etc.)
• If possible, try to reach a person who is
drowning by hand, a thick tree branch or drop
them a rope
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
29

26. Power cut
Heat waves can cause power cuts
e.g. due to the expanding of
electrical lines resulting in
decrease in power.
The following are some things you
can do, but can also advise the
people in your community to do in
case of a power cut.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
30

27. Power cut
What to do in a power cut:
• Check out the neighbour’s house – If your
neighbours still have power but your home /
office doesn’t, it is likely that the problem lies
with your own fuses or trip switches. If the
whole area is out then contact your local
energy supplier – dial 105 - to inform them
(make sure you have the number in the
contact list in your emergency plan), or if they
are already aware they may be able to provide
more detail on the incident, i.e. cause and
estimated time of outage.
• Switch off appliances – Unplug sensitive
appliances such as TVs, satellite equipment
and computers. Switch off all electrical
appliances that may have been in use when
the supply was interrupted, but should not be
left unattended such as cookers.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
31

28. Power cut
• Leave a light switched on – Leave, or switch on, at least one
light switched on so you will know when the power has been
restored.
• Limit the use of your laptop or mobile phone – Don’t use
your devices unnecessarily to save battery power. Use a
battery powered or wind-up radio to tune into news updates.
• Avoid opening your fridge or freezer more than necessary –
Leave your fridge door closed if possible until the supply is
restored. Chilled products should remain safe for a number
of hours. Freezers should remain sufficiently cold to keep
products safe for several hours. It is also worth noting that a
full freezer will stay colder for longer, so if your freezer is
only partially full then consider freezing containers of water
to fill the void space.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
32

29. Power cut
• Other sources of lighting – Ensure
you have a battery powered or
wind-up torch close at hand and
that the batteries are working. If
you are going to use candles,
paraffin or gas lamps then please
take care. Consider the following:
• Place them on a stable non-
combustible surface where they
can’t be knocked off.
• Place them away from curtains
and soft furnishings.
• Do not leave them unattended.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
33

30. Power cut
• Advice your community on looking after pets – Most pets will not
be affected by a power interruption, but you may want to contact
your local pet shop or RSPCA for advice if you own tropical fish,
unusual or exotic animals. If the power is off for only a short
period of time then most tropical fish will be unaffected. Mains-
operated air pumps, filters and heaters in fish tanks will not work
while the electricity is off, so for longer power outages you may
want to consider the following:
• Unplugging your filters to prevent toxins building up. You
are advised to clean the filters before using them again.
• Consider buying a bubble up filter than can be run off a
battery powered air pump as a back-up.
• For insulation, wrap blankets around the outside of the tank.
• To keep oxygen in the tank, periodically disturb the water
with your finger or alternatively fill a cup full of water from
the tank and pour it back in.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
34

31. Power cut
• Check on elderly or vulnerable in your
community – Ensure elderly or vulnerable
neighbours are safe and comfortable.
• When power is restored turn your
appliances back on one at a time.
Remember, if you have any electric clocks,
alarm clocks or video recorders, these may
need resetting.
• Also remember that door bells and alarm
systems may not work when your supply
is interrupted. Many alarm systems have
battery back-ups, i.e. hardwired smoke
alarms, but a power outage may mean
these don’t work correctly.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
35

32. Helping animals
Helping wildlife
Provide water but not food. Leave bowls of
fresh, clean water out in shady locations.
Shallow dishes are better for smaller
animals. If you use a large container make
sure to provide a rock or stick so that
small animals can climb out.
Place the container in an area where
animals are protected from predators
when drinking e.g. near a shrub or bush
and keep your pets away from this area so
that animals can drink undisturbed.
Unless advised to by a registered wildlife
carer or veterinarian, don’t attempt to
feed wild animals.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
36

33. Helping animals
How you can recognize heat-stressed
animals:
• Animals stressed by the heat will often
behave differently than normal. They
may lose their balance, collapse or
appear confused.
• Animals that are mainly active at night
(e.g. possums) may come out during
the day and animals that usually live
in trees (e.g. bats, birds etc.) may be
seen on the ground.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
37

34. Helping animals
Rescuing stressed animals
• Keep a cardboard box and a towel handy as well as phone numbers of local
wildlife carer organisations or veterinarians in case you find an injured animal.
• Remember that just being near wild animals creates stress in them. Therefore do
not approach unless necessary and keep handling to an absolute minimum.
• Do not put yourself in danger and don’t touch bats or flying foxes – a bite from a
bat carrying lyssavirus can cause serious illness and even death in unvaccinated
people.
• If you do rescue an animal suffering from heat stress and dehydration, wrap it
loosely in a towel, place in a cardboard box and offer water to drink. Spraying
with a fine mist of water can help to cool the animal down. Leave in a dark, cool
and quiet place and seek advice and assistance.
• Be sure to record the exact location of where the animal was found so that it can
be returned to the area when it recovers.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
38

35. Helping animals
Helping pets
It is important to keep yourself
cool and healthy during extremely
hot weather, but it is also
important to think about pets. Like
people, animals can suffer
heatstroke in hot weather if they
aren’t kept cool.
Following is some advice you can
provide for the people in your
community with pets.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
39

36. Helping animals
How to look after pets:
• If possible, bring your pets inside when it is very
hot.
• If they can’t be left inside, make sure there are some
sheltered shady spots in the garden where your pet
can rest.
• Don’t leave pets in closed garden sheds or garages,
as these can heat up very quickly on a hot day.
• Make sure your pets have plenty of clean, fresh
water to drink and that it is not placed in the sun.
Consider having two drinking bowls in case one
runs out of water or gets knocked over.
• Don’t let your dog walk on hot surfaces
(pavements, bitumen roads, hot sand), as their paws
are sensitive and can get burnt.
• Never leave pets alone in a car in any circumstance,
even if the windows are partly open.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
40
What to do if pet shows signs of heat stress?
• If your pet shows signs of heat stress (sweating,
panting and drooling, tongue hanging out) move
them to a cool place and try to get them to drink
water, even if you have to pour some into their
mouth.
• If a dog shows signs of being overheated, the best
way to cool it off is to get it to stand in water up to
its belly. Dogs will cool off faster this way than
being sprayed with water.
• Old or very young animals can get stressed very
quickly during hot weather and need watching
carefully for signs that they may be heat stressed.
• Contact a vet without delay if you are worried that
your animal is suffering from the heat. This could
save your pet’s life.

37. Behaviour
In fire fighting situations it is essential to remain as effective as possible, often for many
hours. A significant number of heat stress cases arise from the fire-fighter’s own
behaviour. Careful behaviour is the first line of defence against premature fatigue and
heat illness. By far the greatest heat load arises from physical work. Avoid overheating
by:
• Drinking water frequently to reduce dehydration
• Walking not running
• Sharing heavy work loads and have crew rotation
• Keeping environmental heat loads as low as possible
• Working at a comfortable distance from the fire, when possible
• Wearing appropriate clothing
• Schedule training, when possible, during the coolest part of day
• Take more breaks in extreme heat and humidity
• Always train and work with a fellow fire-fighter
• Gradually build up to heavy work through acclimatization
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
41

38. Behaviour
Drink plenty
Avoiding or minimizing dehydration by frequent water intake is the single most
important method of maintaining good function on the fire ground. Sweat losses
on the fire ground usually exceed one litre per hour and will rapidly lead to
dehydration, resulting in premature fatigue and eventually heat exhaustion.
Sweat must be replaced by frequent water intake in small amounts. Avoid
consuming large volumes of water at one time.
• Increase your body fluid levels before work commences, particularly in hot
conditions
• Fire-fighters should start drinking water before the shift begins and continue
to drink water during the shift
• Drink water frequently (at least 150-200 ml every 10-15 minutes)
• Drink enough water that you never become thirsty
• Ensure clean supply of water is available
• Do not drink any alcohol as it dehydrates the body
• Avoid excessive amounts of tea or coffee as both tend to increase dehydration
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
42

39. Your teammate
Looking after your mate
All fire-fighters should assist and
monitor the well being of their fellow
fire-fighters by:
• Sharing work loads when appropriate
• Encouraging others to pace themselves
• Making sure others drink frequently
• Watching for signs of fatigue and heat
illness in others
• Rotating crews regularly
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
43

40. First aid
Any fire-fighter who feels excessively
fatigued or unwell or any fire-fighter who is
noticed by others to be affected by heat
illness should:
• Stop work
• Move to a cooler place, in the shade with
a breeze
• Remove as much clothing as reasonable
• Sit or lie down. If feeling faint, lie with
legs elevated
• Drink plenty of fluids (preferably water)
• Sponge skin with water and fan to
increase evaporative cooling
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
44

41. After the response
The following are some ideas of what you could do
after a heat wave.
For the citizens on a personal level you can:
• Discuss with the citizens what could have been
done better to help them get through.
• Also discuss this with the person’s family and
identify ways to increase the person’s support if
needed.
• Write down possible improvements for the next
heat wave.
Regarding their house or apartment you can:
• Go through the checklist on the previous pages
and note down improvements that can be made
in the person’s house or apartment.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
45

42. Evaluating
After the response, in the recovery phase,
you should evaluate the effort and decisions
made during the response.
This is the process where you really learn
and improve your response and also you
move around the disaster management cycle
and can improve your prevention and
preparedness in relation to the response.
You should discuss with your teammates,
leaders and others involved in the response;
what was good, what was not so good and
what you can do better next time.
Remember to write it down and bring
forward the original plan you had and
change it according to the evaluation.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
46
Mitigation
(prevention)
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Disaster management cycle

43. This educational resource has been produced by the partners of the e-PPR Project (e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and
Response to Natural Disasters) with the support of the Erasmus+ programme.
Unless otherwise stated, this educational resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
License. It is attributed to the partners of the e-PPR project. Further information can be found at www.e-ppr.eu
The authors are committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others, and have taken all reasonable efforts to ensure that
the reproduction of content (text, pictures, etc.) has been done with the full consent of copyright holders and that all copyright holders
are acknowledged in such reproductions. If you feel that your copyright has not been fully respected, please contact us by email at
projectmanager@e-ppr.eu.
If you are going to use parts of the content with materials whose copyright holder(s) is/are not the authors, it is your responsibility to
make sure you do so, respecting the original holder’s copyrights.
This content is the sole responsibility of the project partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to
Natural Disasters
47
Copyright Statement