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 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York 
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2002-07-03 40026
I just did what I'm always telling my crews to be careful with. It is in the 90's here and I have been working around the yard and cleaning the vehicles the last three days. Drinking plenty of water and taking a break to cool down in the pool except for today, wanted to finish everything first. I have one task left, to vacume my truck before pool time and in the process of setting up I started to cramp up and stopped sweating. I sat in the vehicle with the A/C running for awhile and then to the house for water and magnesium/potassium tabs and am almost back to normal now. The strangest part of heat exhaustion is the lack of perspiration when it happens. I would like to take an opportunity to caution those unfamiliar with this condition to watch for it. I always felt as though I drank enough fluid and was careful enough to avoid it, well guess what, this getting older puts a real damper on being able to work like a dog. Watch yourselves, this heat can do you in!
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2002-07-03 40030
Cutter, an excellent reminder, even for us 'Northern Members'. Toronto has an unprecedented heat wave this week, today's temp's (including the 'humidex') reached 45 Centigrade, or about 115 Farenheit for the rest of you, and the humidity hasn't dropped below 95% yet this week, even during the overnight periods. My field crews are (and have been for years) working under strict operating procedures (we also have cold weather 'rules') that REQUIRE them to drink at least 500ml (1 pint) of water per working hour MINIMUM, and if they are doing physical labour (as opposed to operating a machine) they can only work 15 minutes continously at which point they MUST take a 5 min. 'shade break'. Violators receive safety infractions, 10 safety infractions means a warning, 3 warnings means transfer to a different job (MUCH less desirable work, if you get my drift) and no change in work habits means they start looking for work elsewhere. Health is nothing to gamble with, and it will not be tolerated, most employees realize the rules are for their protection and safety as well as everyone else's and appreciate it, those that don't won't last long. Everybody needs to be aware of safety always. Best of luck. ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-07-03 40032
I am really glad to hear this from you guys. After spending the 21 years of my life in Anchorage, I had kind of lost the concept about working outdoors in the heat. We have been between 95 and 98 degrees here in northern Nevada for the last few weeks and I thought I was getting old and wimpy because I could only work about twenty or thirty minutes at a time, chopping brush and picking rocks, before I needed a twenty minute break and a quart of cold water to revive me. Maybe I am more normal (whatever that is) than I think. The other day when it hit 102, I just threw in the towel for the day. ....
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 | Mrwurm
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 184 South East Michigan 
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2002-07-03 40035
Went shopping for, of all things, shade trees yesterday. It was 95 degrees F. I thought I was tougher than the heat. I carried 3 trees up from the yard to the retail counter. Each one weighed about 75 lbs. By the time I got there with the third one I had to sit down to rest, then I needed to lay down to keep from falling down. Fortunately, some kind workers recognized the problem and got me some water. It just kind of sneaks up on you.
Jerry ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-07-04 40045
Yep, really miserable here even a 6-hour drive mostly North of Toronto. We spent most of it at out camp, where ironically the construction trailer has an air conditioner but the house doesn't. The dealer who sold us the trailer wouldn't include the air conditioner in his warranty. We weren't worried because we figured we'd never use the AC. Surprise surprise! We sought refuge for most of Sunday and Monday. I don't envy black crows taking their roadside meals along the blacktop. They've had their beaks hanging open all week.
Yes, plenty of water. I remember hearing of a person seemingly obsessed with keeping his tractor and himself going through long days and serious heat/humidity. He sought and received ‘net-advice’ on 'electrolyte type drinks'. I heard he ended up in hospital. In absence of medical advice, plain water is best. Water and siestas are even better.
....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2002-07-04 40046
The heat wave here has been much the same, pretty much 90's every day and very little cooling at night. I have a difficult time just sitting around, so my personality is now having an arguement with my body as to what to do today. If only I could get those trees trimmed that never stopped growing due to our lack of a winter here! I will probably end up just mowing with the tractor between dips in the pool. Of course, if company should stop today due to the holiday, that would give my type A personality a valid reason to kick back! ....
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| larry
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 0 St.Davids
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2002-07-04 40047
I've been waiting all winter for this. I would rather sweat than freeze any day
Send her down lord,send her down
....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2002-07-04 40050
Believe me, I am not complaining about the weather. When my age approached 50 years, my outlook changed. I figure every day my feet hit the floor in the morning is a great day rain, shine, snow and anything in between. ....
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 | Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2002-07-04 40054
Well having moved from the north to the south I can say you do acclimatize a little to the heat. The bad news is that you loose your ability to with stand the cold.
My blood used to run like SAE 40 when I lived near Alaska, now it is like water.
It has been in the 90's here for weeks. Was commenting the other day that it was a little cooler to my helper, 88 and 100% humidity.
Well back to 95 tomorrow. ....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2002-07-05 40055
A good share of my parents brothers and sisters have moved south over the years. As they aged, very few would venture up north to visit except in the dead of summer for the same reason you mention. They all claimed they could not take the cold. I can feel the difference (real or imagined) as our seasons change. A day in February that hits 50 degrees and we are outside without our jackets exclaiming how nice it is. Put that same day in July and everyone reaches for a sweatshirt and shivers. A half hour ago, I went through the house closing windows due to the "cold" breeze coming in this morning. It's probably seventy degrees, but after a week of 90's day and night it seems cold. ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2002-07-05 40060
Temperature fluctuation can be difficult to take. Calgary has one of the highest suicide rate in NA. They believe that is is due to the temperature variation extremes.
They get the Chinook winds that can provide a day in the 70's in the winter and then return to the -30 in a matter of hours. ....
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-07-05 40065
I have found that no matter where you live, you tend to acclimate to a 45 or 50-degree temperature window. When I was a kid in California I remember 95 or 100 was tolerable but I wore a sweater or a jacket to school on those 50-degree mornings. After I was in Anchorage for a few years I found I didn’t need a jacket if the temps were above freezing and we broke out the shorts and beach wear in the 60’s and complained of the heat on the rare days it hit 80. We used to laugh at people out sunbathing at 62 degrees, and then we started doing it. ....
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| Fitch
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 23 Southern California High Desert
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2002-07-05 40068
Been there, done that. Was welding some brackets onto the corall fencing last weekend. All of a sudden I noticed I was not sweating and feeling weak. Quit for about three hours, water and gatoraid, finally went in the pool - that helped a lot.
Live in the So Cal high desert. As I get older (60 now) I find I have to get up really early and have the heavy physical part of what is to be done finished by no later than noon. I drink lots of water, some times mixed half and half with Gatoraid, wear a hat, and pay attention to how I feel. When its really hot I wear a hat soaked with water. Welding, even with just cape sleeves and heavy gloves - I got really hot.
I've also checked the water in all the equipment cooling systems and batteries. Batteries can lose water at an alarming rate when it is hot and really dry.
Fitch ....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2002-07-06 40086
All good ideas Fitch. I use the headrag soaked in water for the same effect. I had forgone all of the safety precautions, planning instead to work just an hour or two so figured I would not need them. No water in the barn, no wet headrag, no swim or cool down time except the few minutes I took to eat a sandwhich. Like I said, I know better and just tried to push the issue. I worked with the Mennonite that built my barn in this kind of heat last year and watched them break every so often and sit it the shade, eat a bit from their lunch boxes and drink water. All were young and strong yet still followed the common sense guidelines. I guess as we get older we use "poetic liscense" to justify what we do sometimes, at least I find myself doing that. ....
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