Escambia County Encourages Residents to Practice Hot Weather Safety

With a Heat Advisory in effect and high temperatures in the forecast, Escambia County Emergency Management and Fire Rescue would like to remind residents to exercise caution and take steps to stay safe in the heat this summer. 

According to the U.S. National Weather Service of Mobile, heat index values of 108 degrees and 111 degrees are expected for Escambia County on Monday, June 26. High temperatures are expected to continue through Tuesday afternoon, June 27.

Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year. Heat can be very taxing on the body. Click here to learn more about heat-related illnesses that can occur with even a short period of exposure. 

Follow these heat safety tips from U.S. National Weather Service:

• Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
• Dress for summer. Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
• Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water or non-alcoholic fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
• Spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air-conditioned environment affords some protection.
• Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.

Everyone can be vulnerable to heat, but some more so than others. Click here to learn more about groups that are particularly vulnerable to heat. 

Hot Vehicle Safety

• It is NEVER safe to leave a child, person with disabilities or pet locked in a car. 
• If you have a toddler in your household, lock your cars, even in your own driveway. Kids play in cars or wander outside and get into a car and can die in as little as 10 minutes. A reported 23 children died in hot cars in 2021.
• If you see a child alone in a locked car, get them out immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.

For more information about how cars can heat up quickly when left in the sun, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

More information on what to do before, during and after a storm is available online at MyEscambia.com/BeReady. You can also follow @BeReadyEscambia on Twitter , like Escambia County Emergency Management on Facebook, and follow @EscambiaBeReady on Instagram for the latest news and updates on emergencies impacting our community.