Sports and Heat Safety Archives

Whether you’re a coach or an athlete, there are several steps you can take to stay safe in the heat. With heat-related illnesses being an ever-present concern, here are some of the ways to stay heat aware and keep players and staff safe during practices and games:

Know the signs and symptoms of heat illness
Monitor on-field conditions in real time
Acclimate to high-risk conditions before intense exertion
Assess each athlete’s overall fitness level
Having a backup plan during periods of elevated heat risk
Establishing an emergency action plan (EAP) in the event heat stroke occurs

Among high school athletes, exertion-related heat stroke is a leading cause of preventable death. According to the National Federation of State School Associations (NFHS), 18 high school athletes have died due to heat exposure in the past 10 years during practice.

Athletes of all ages are at risk, not just children, so heat awareness is paramount at every level of competition. To help with that, here are some easily implemented and effective heat safety tips:

1) Know the Signs and Symptoms of Heat Illness

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can come on suddenly, especially when temperatures and humidity levels rise gradually. That means vigilance is the first step in preventing heat illnesses. If the team’s coaches and trainers are familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion, they can intervene before it progresses to heat stroke.

Signs of heat exhaustion include:

Heavy sweating
Cool skin that may be moist to the touch
Dizziness and confusion
Fatigue and weakness
Nausea
Headache

If not treated, heat exhaustion may develop into heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Heat stroke presents with profound confusion, difficulty speaking, a dangerously high body temperature (more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and loss of consciousness.

Heat stroke deaths are completely preventable if coaches, teammates and parents act as soon as someone shows signs of heat illness.

2) Monitoring On-field Conditions in Real Time

Prompt care is important for heat illnesses, but prevention is the priority. That starts with monitoring on-field conditions and responding quickly if conditions become dangerous.

Throughout practice, take several temperature readings and pay close attention to humidity levels, wind patterns, and sun exposure. You don’t need bulky, sophisticated equipment to do this. A simple liquid crystal thermometer (LCT) can provide accurate temperature readings. LCTs are also weightless and compact, so they’re often integrated into ID badges, and because they’re cost effective, they can be distributed among coaching and trainer staff.

With temperature-taking tools like LCTs on hand, the coaching staff can keep a close eye on practice conditions and respond when they are no longer safe.

3) Acclimating to High-risk Conditions Before Intense Exertion

The vast majority of serious heat illnesses occur during the first few practices, before everyone has had a chance to adjust to the weather and activity levels. The NFHS recommends coaches implement a heat acclimation program that progresses over several weeks and prioritizes the following:

Shorter, less intense practices
Longer recovery periods between stretches of activity
Focusing initial practices on instruction instead of conditioning
Introducing protective gear slowly during initial practices

Longer breaks, plenty of water and fluids and minimal protective gear reduce the heat burden on athletes as they ramp up conditioning. This acclimation period also gives coaches the ability to identify anyone with an elevated risk of heat illness.

4) Assessing Each Athlete’s Overall Fitness Level

Prior to intense practices, it’s important for the team’s doctors to assess each athlete’s health and fitness levels. This includes identifying any medical conditions or medications that may place the person at a higher risk of heat illness. Examples include obesity, heart conditions, and certain mental illnesses (which can make it difficult to detect changes in temperature).

With this information, the team’s trainers can dedicate extra attention to anyone at elevated risk. This could include providing additional fluids, taking the athlete’s vitals more often, and developing an individualized plan for high-risk individuals.

5) Having a Backup Plan During Periods of Elevated Heat Risk

In some cases, the heat is too dangerous for any athlete to practice – regardless of fitness level. It is up to the coaching staff to recognize this and adjust accordingly. In fact, the NFHS recommends that teams have a “plan B” for those times when heat derails practice. For example, coaches may move activities to an indoor facility where air conditioning is available. Or, coaches may reduce practice intensity, switching to instruction instead of exertion.

Whatever the team’s plan B, it should be established before it needs to be implemented. Identify an alternative location or practicing method and communicate this to the entire team. That way, when the backup plan is needed, it can be quickly implemented.

6) Establishing an EAP for Heat Stroke Events

Another plan that every sports team needs is an emergency action plan for heat stroke. EAPs specify everything the team needs to know when a player develops heat stroke, including:

Where to take the patient for rapid cooling
What resources are available for treating heat stroke, and where they are located
Procedures for treating the patient, depending on presentation of symptoms
Who to contact if a player experiences heat stroke
Contact information for the team’s doctor or medical staff

An EAP formalizes the team’s response to a heat-related medical emergency and encourages a rapid response when it’s needed most. Serious complications due to heat stroke may be averted with prompt treatment, and an EAP increases the likelihood that it will be delivered.

Stay Heat Aware So the Team Stays Safe During Summer Sports

When the heat is on during the summer, so is the risk for athletes. To keep players safe and in the game, it’s up to everyone to practice heat awareness. That starts with vigilance – tracking on-field conditions, specifically. Temperature-taking tools like LCTs can make it easier to monitor conditions without stretching the team’s budget.

How common are heat injuries among high school football players?

Heat and high school football can make for a dangerous mix, but it’s unavoidable for anyone that participates in athletics of any sort. It’s especially problematic for football programs, and most heat-related injuries among high school athletes present in football players. This makes sense, given the extra gear that comes with football, as well as the constant exertion. But even with these additional risk factors, it’s unacceptable for any high school athlete to suffer severe or fatal injury due to heat stress. Heat injuries are almost always preventable and can be reversible if coaches and trainers take appropriate action beforehand and during an incident.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) track heat injuries that result in lost time. In other words, if a heat injury forces the athlete to miss activities for one or more days, it is tracked by the CDC. And according to the CDC, high school athletes experience more than 9,000 heat-related injuries every year. Among them, football players are 10 times more likely to experience a heat-related injury, compared to other high school athletes. Again, football players are at a much higher risk of heat stress, accounting for about five percent of all heat-related visits to the emergency room between 2005 and 2009.

Prevention methods are getting better, but there is still room for improvement.

What can be done to stop heat-related injuries among high school football players?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. It’s certainly true when it comes to heat-related injuries, as they can be prevented with basic tools and prevention methods. If heat exhaustion or heat stroke does present, though, immediate action may protect the individual from fatal complications. “Immediate” is the keyword. Here is what coaches and trainers can do to protect their players:

1. Education and information – First, be aware of what heat illness looks like, how it presents and how it can be prevented. Make sure that the players take this seriously, because high school players aren’t likely to willingly admit they aren’t feeling well. Stress the importance of recognizing symptoms and allow anyone experiencing heat-related symptoms to seek respite as soon as possible.

Make sure trainers are also aware of the dangers of excessive heat, and task them with monitoring players. It’s not always clear from a distance who is in danger, so the more eyes, the better.

2. Heat cards – Heat cards are simple reference, temperature monitoring and memory-jogging tools that encourage proper heat illness prevention. A heat card comes with a liquid crystal thermometer that constantly takes ambient air temperature. Check it often to keep abreast of what the weather is doing. Heat cards can also be customized with any reference materials needed, such as proper hydration methods, the symptoms of various heat illnesses, treatment methods and emergency contact information. It’s an inexpensive, easily worn and durable way to keep heat-related illness at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

3. Plenty of water – It is exceedingly dangerous to run football drills without water available to the players. This is obvious enough, but coaches often underestimate how much water players actually need to stay properly hydrated. Even if the temperature is below 90 degrees, humidity and heavy football pads will make it feel much hotter. To stay hydrated, players will need to intake at least 36 ounces of fluid every hour, and some will need even more. That’s a lot of water, so make sure there is always enough on hand. Assign someone to the sole task of keeping water supplies up, and don’t let players skip hydration breaks.

4. Provide a shaded rest area – Heat illness strikes when the body can no longer cool itself adequately. As the temperature and humidity climb, it’s harder for the body to transmit heat to the surrounding environment. Hydration will only provide minimal heat sinking, as important as it is, so additional measures are needed to keep players cool and safe.

Even something as simple as a shaded rest area, like a tent, can help normalize a player’s temperature. Consider placing the hydration station inside this area so players are forced into the shade for a bit. Also consider outfitting the spot with fans or misters, as this will cool players off quickly.

5. Act as soon as possible – If a player begins experiencing symptoms of heat illness, even if those symptoms are only apparent to the player, act immediately. If caught right away, heat illness can be stopped before it poses a serious risk. Before long, though, heat exhaustion will develop into heat stroke, and this is a medical emergency.

If the player is conscious and able, get them to a cool, shaded area and hydrate them. Move them inside where there is air conditioning and monitor their vitals to verify that their temperature is dropping. If heat exhaustion or heat stroke is apparent, rapid cooling is needed. If an ice bath is available, get them in one as soon as possible, taking care to keep the player’s head above the water if they are unconscious. If an ice bath is not available, get them to a cool area and cover them with cold, wet towels. In either case, contact emergency services as they may need to be taken to the hospital.

6. Keep an eye on players with additional risk factors – Some people are at a greater risk of heat illness, and these people should be monitored closely. Young people like high schoolers are generally healthy, but players who are overweight and those taking certain medications, including antidepressants and some antihistamines, are at an increased risk of heat illness. Keep an eye on them.

Heat illness is a constant threat to high school football players, but it doesn’t have to be a serious threat. With the right prevention and response methods in place, potentially fatal situations can be avoided.

Sports and Heat Safety

Stay Safe in the Heat: Sports and Heat Awareness Tips