Remember to take precautions to avoid heat-related injuries

With hot temperatures hitting the southland, the City is reminding residents to take precautions to prevent heat-related injuries and death.

During an average summer, some 200 people across the country die due to heat injuries from exposure to high summer temperatures. Clearly, heat can be a force, particularly in Southern California, where temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in the suburban valleys and 110 degrees in the low desert areas are common during the summer and fall.

Heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person's body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. Overexposure to heat or excessive exercise in the heat also can cause other injuries. The severity of such injuries increases with age; heat cramps in a younger person may be heat exhaustion in a middle-aged person  but may be heatstroke in an elderly person. This occurs because the person has not adapted to the heat and is unable to adjust to changes in the body.

Remember it is NEVER safe to leave a child, disabled person or pet locked in a car, even in the winter or with the windows cracked. 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 10 minutes. Based on data reported in 2022, an average of 38 childhood heatstroke fatalities occur each year. Pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths (PVHD) have occurred year-round. 

This Focus Sheet offers important and simple recommendations designed to help you avoid heat-related death and injury and stay safe during hot weather.