Memorial Health doctor shares heat safety tips

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Extremely high temperatures in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, something doctors say can be very dangerous if you’re not taking the right steps to keep yourself safe.

With heat indexes over 110 degrees in some parts of the Savannah area on Tuesday, doctors are urging people to stay inside as much as you can.

“You can take all the precautions you want, but if the heat gets to you, especially with your activity levels and hydration levels, sometimes you just can’t do enough and so we caution everybody, if you start feeling it, if you start feeling weakness, light headedness, dizziness, feeling that thirst, it’s time to get out of that heat, get the balanced electrolyte solutions into your body and make sure you get into a cool environment,” Memorial Health Emergency Rooms Systems Medical Director Jay Goldstein said.

Goldstein said the best thing to do if you, or someone around you, is experiencing a heat related illness, is to put them in the shade or inside, and then take a cool towel and wipe it all over their skin.

He says this will allow an evaporative cooling system to take effect.

Goldstein says these strategies are good for anyone to know, especially with the weather this year.

“I can say personally, through this year, I’ve seen more heat related illnesses, probably double that I’ve seen in previous years,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein also says he encourages everyone to make sure they check their back seat when leaving a car, to make sure they’re not leaving a child or pet, as temperatures inside of cars that are turned off can be extremely dangerous.

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