REGINA – Reginans are enjoying a brief heatwave with the high reaching 31 degrees Tuesday afternoon. The rising mercury is a welcome change from a harsh, long winter, but health officials warn against getting too much of a good thing.
“I love the warm weather and there’s no wind. It’s beautiful out here,” said Gordon Hunter from atop his roof. He took advantage of the warm weather to do home repairs, but he’s not taking any chances, noting he was prepared with ice water once he’d finished.
“Today, I just happen to be (in) the shade. If I was outside in the sun all day, I would definitely have sunscreen on,” he also added.
Out of the shade, it’s a different story.
“First and foremost, it’s our employees health and safety,” said Marco Deiana, City of Regina manager of healthy workplace.
The city has developed “hot condition guidelines” for their nearly 1400 employees who work outdoors, including construction crews, maintenance workers and lifeguards.
“Anything over 35 degrees, we ask that our employees take a half an hour rest break for the duration of the day. So it’s half an hour work, half an hour rest.” Deiana explained that’s time to cool down in an air-conditioned place or grab a glass of water.
Lifeguards protect themselves from the hot sun and they’re also trained to notice the signs of heatstroke in others.
“Sometimes they’ll be pale or flush in the face, clammy,” said Kristi Hawkes, a lifeguard at Wascana Pool. ” If they’re extremely exhausted, you might even notice their speech becomes slurred or sloppy.” That’s when one should seek medical attention.
Prevention is key – and as long as you don’t overindulge, you can take advantage of the warm weather. After all, it’s only 18 weeks before snow.
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