Summer heat safety precautions you need to know

During summer, does your family spend a lot more time outdoors? That can be great for everyone's health, but when the sun's rays are their strongest and temperatures are at their highest, you need to take summer heat safety precautions to avoid dangerous heat illnesses and sunburn. When you spend a large portion of the day outdoors at a party on vacation or at the kids' game, make sure you're taking these precautions to avoid heat illness.

Watch out for heat emergencies

The Red Cross advises to always check local weather forecasts to stay aware of temperature changes as a first course of action in avoiding heat hazards. The National Weather Service initiates a heat advisory alert whenever the daytime heat index rises above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which the Red Cross notes can feel 15 degrees hotter in direct sunlight, putting you at risk for heat emergencies.

MedlinePlus notes heat illness is the mildest form of heat emergency and the symptoms include muscle cramps, fatigue, and unusually heavy sweating. Untreated, this can escalate to heat exhaustion. If someone is exhibiting or reporting symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, or cool, moist skin, they could escalate to heatstroke, which is very serious. If someone has a high fever, is acting strangely, is having trouble breathing, or loses consciousness, call 911 immediately.

In an article about outdoor workers and heat stress, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends workers performing moderate activity in moderately hot weather have one cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes. Summer TV ads abound showing alcoholic drinks, colas, iced coffees, and iced teas satisfying thirst, but according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, these drinks actually cause dehydration so sticking to water is a good strategy.

In addition, Harvard Health recommends eating smaller meals and fluid-containing foods such as fruits and salads to help stave off heat stroke. The Mayo Clinic recommends wearing loose, flowy garments in light shades.

Protect against dangerous sunburns

According to the Melanoma Education Foundation, the more sunburns a person has in their lifetime the higher their risk of developing skin cancer. Since a lot has changed about sunscreen in recent years, here's what you need to know:

• The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says only sunscreens that pass a standardized test can be labeled as "broad spectrum," which means they protect against UVA and UVB rays (both of which cause sunburn and skin cancer).
• The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises to use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30.
• To get the full protective sunscreen benefit, the AAD recommends applying a full ounce to your entire body, reapplying fully if you sweat it off or come out of the water, and reapplying once every two hours in the sun otherwise.
• Both the AAD and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise babies under 6 months old should not use sunscreen or be directly exposed to the sun.

Download the free Red Cross first aid app (for Apple or Android) to use for immediate advice for everyday emergencies, including how to prepare for the heat and deal with a heat emergency.