With the start of a new school year it is time to prepare for the possibility of heat related illness. School began here on August 11th. Personally I think that is crazy since it is still over 100 degrees on many days. As parents, grandparents or care givers we need to understand the signs and the treatment of heat illnesses. This is especially true if you child is involved in sports. I have known many great coaches who would not hesitate to pull a child they felt was in trouble. I have also known coaches who consider sitting down during a practice a sign of weakness. We must be responsible for the safety of the children in our care. Teach your children the signs and help them to understand the danger of ignoring those signs.

Know the signs:

• Heat cramps: Heat cramps are muscle pains and spasms due to heavy exertion and dehydration. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are often the first signal that the body is in trouble.

• Heat Exhaustion: Someone suffering from heat exhaustion will have cool, moist, pale, or flushed skin; sweat heavily; have a headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and general exhaustion. Body temperature may be normal, or may be rising.

• Heat stroke: Someone suffering from heat stroke will have hot, red skin; lapse of consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Their body temperature can be very high, as high as 105 degrees F. If the person was sweating from heavy work or exercise, skin may be wet; otherwise, it will feel dry. If any of these symptoms are present call your doctor or hospital for treatment directions. If you have any doubt, call for help.

Treat Immediately:

• Heat cramps: Get the person to a cooler place and have him or her rest in a comfortable position. Lightly stretch the affected muscle and replenish fluids. Give a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Do not give liquids with alcohol or caffeine in them, as they can cause further dehydration, making conditions worse.

• Heat exhaustion: Get the person out of the heat and into a cooler place. Increase ventilation by opening windows or using a fan. Cool them down as quickly as possible. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths, such as towels or sheets. If the person is conscious, give cool water to drink. Make sure the person drinks slowly. Give a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Do not give them aspirin or other medications. Let the victim rest in a comfortable position, and watch carefully for changes in his or her condition.

• Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation. Help is needed fast. Call 911 or your local emergency number. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body. Immerse victim in a cool bath, or wrap wet sheets around the body and fan it. Place victim in front of an open window or fan. Never leave a victim alone. Watch for signals of breathing problems. Keep the person lying down and continue to cool the body any way you can. If the victim refuses water, is vomiting, or there are changes in the level of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink.

I can truthfully say now that I am very frustrated with the lack of information coming from the media and the US government concerning preparation for the return of the H1N1 flu. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, even India are so much more proactive about informing the public and planning. This is not over and I am concerned that the public will not be prepared should a self quarantine, or a mandatory quarantine become necessary. Please take time today to send a link to your friends and family to this post and/or to my ebook: Prep Not Panic: Keys to Surviving the Next Pandemic If you know a member of your local or the national media ask them to get the word out. Send them a link to this blog so they will understand there is plenty we can do to prepare, but now is the time. I cannot imagine the fear and frustration for those who have not thought through, and prepared, should this become as wide spread as most governments and health agencies now feel it will become.

Why the urgency now? Our school district begins classes next week, which means for us the flu season will begin. It is through contact while traveling and in schools that spread illnesses the fastest. How do I know it is coming?

“Hundreds of children have been sent home from summer camps across Southern California in recent weeks with flu-like symptoms, and camp counselors and directors are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the H1N1, or swine flu, virus in cabins and mess halls.

But officials say the sight of children arriving at sleep-away camps armed with the anti-viral medication Tamiflu is probably just a harbinger of what awaits schools in coming weeks as students move into dormitories, and elementary and secondary students begin classes.

School closures would occur only by order of the superintendent or the county health department and only if so many children were sick that it was impractical to keep classes running, said Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, director of student medical services at the Los Angeles Unified School District.

UC campuses are stockpiling supplies, from paper masks and hand sanitizer to food and water. Officials are going over worst-case scenarios in case of campus-wide outbreaks. Officials are considering screening students for fever when they check into dorms.

“If we prepare for the worst, then we’re going to get a better outcome,” said Grace Crickette, chief risk officer for the University of California.”

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-camp-flu27-2009jul27,0,5762666.story

But California camps are not alone. Camps throughout the country have had outbreaks of the H1N1 flu. Imagine the outbreaks when every child of school age is potentially exposed. We are about to place our children into the perfect environment for the spread of the flu, many people in a confined environment where they are coughing and sneezing and touching germ laden crayons and desk tops. Think about how many high school students sit at the same English class desk each day.

The article above mentions anti virals but there are many warming that taking an anti viral as a precaution is not a good idea. Again, this study was conducted in the UK.

“Another study, also published by Eurosurveillance, found that more than half of 85 children in three London schools had side-effects when given the drug as a preventative measure after a classmate was diagnosed.

Of the 45 children who suffered side-effects, 40% reported gastrointestinal problems including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramps, while 18% reported a “neuropsychiatric side-effect” such as poor concentration, inability to think clearly, problems sleeping, feeling dazed or confused, bad dreams or nightmares and “behaving strangely”.

The research was carried out in April and May – before the government decided to stop using Tamiflu preventatively. Only those with suspected or confirmed swine flu now get the drug.

Clinical trials have shown that around 10% of people taking Tamiflu report nausea without vomiting, and an extra 10% experience vomiting, according to the researchers.

The government’s chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said Tamiflu should still be given to children if they had established symptoms and there were no existing medical reasons not to prescribe the drug.”

http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/children-on-tamiflu-experience-psychiatric-problems-insomnia-and-nightmares/

“Health officials in Japan have recommended against prescribing Tamiflu to teenagers over fears it causes a rise in “neuropsychiatric events”. The researchers said that clinical trials had shown that about 20 per cent of adults reported side-effects of either nausea or vomiting after taking Tamiflu.”

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25861806-2703,00.html

Again I would ask if your school districts are prepared. If you have not already called your school district please do so. Is your community prepared? Once school begins we could see the spread of this illness very rapidly and time could be very short to take action. We learned that from studying the outbreak this spring in New York. It was a matter of days before one student with the H1N1 became a dozen students with the flu and then only a week until New York City schools were closed for weeks.

The truth is there will not be a vaccine available in time to prevent the rapid spread of the H1N1. We have been lulled into a false sense of security because the media has failed to report. Once some criticized reporters, saying they were being alarmist, they stopped informing. Consider this, every year 36,000 people die of the seasonal flu, a flu for which they have some immunity. No one has immunity for the H1N1, as it is a new flu. If the H1N1 only infected as many as the seasonal flu does each year, doubling those with some strain of the flu, that means an additional 36,000 people in the US alone, could died this fall and winter. What would happen if those with seasonal flu also contracted the H1N1? What do you think their survival rate would be, battling two flu strains?

Each Friday this year I have posted something you could do to be more ready for a pandemic. I began long before the H1N1 was an issue. This week I am asking you to get the word out to as many as you can. The number of cases of the H1N1 has continued to INCREASE during the summer. That should not have happened, and is reason enough for concern. I do not want to be an alarmist. After all, my ebook is titled Prep Not Panic and that is truly what I believe, but we must prepare or we will, maybe in the near future, panic as we realize we don’t have the information necessary to care for the needs of our family.

Schools were also very concerned about student travel. Many had experienced the death of students as they became involved in weather related accidents while traveling between home and school. With high school seniors graduating in the next few weeks it is a good time to consider a college/car kit as a graduation gift. Of course I like the ones at Totally Ready but do some research and compare the items and the quality of those items. Be careful of kits sold by resellers. In other words, if you see the same kits on several sites you know they were not designed by the owners of that site and therefore may not be specific enough to the needs of a student.

As we have witnessed recently and consistently over the past few years we are in a cycle of increasing natural disasters. Don’t let students you love get caught unprepared.

When I did some research last year for the design of the ideal Totally Ready college emergency kit, I discovered a few universities have plans in place to provide for students during an emergency. Yet, they all recommend students be prepared with their own 72 hour kit and a good auto emergency kit for travel between their hometown and the campus.

The United States Department of Education has made the following recommendation: "We strongly urge schools to have a plan for dealing with crisis, including crisis such as school shootings (including lockdowns), suicides, and major accidents, as well as large-scale disasters (including natural disasters), such as the events of September 11, that have significant impact on schools throughout the country… Schools that do not have a school safety plan should implement a plan immediately."

Teachers, administrators, school support staff, and classroom volunteers, are the first responders during any emergency which occurs in our schools, but are they prepared? As I researched I discovered that over a three month period last year, October through December, there was a minimum of three school lockdowns every day somewhere in the United States. I was amazed at the places where these were happening, from small rural schools, to large inner city schools and in every state. I also discovered that in my own community the Department of Homeland Security was informing local police departments that a terrorist attack on small schools was a real possibility.

Having been involved in a school lockdown myself, I know how frightening they can be. In my case there was a gunman on the loose after he had shot someone in an apartment complex a block from the school. I was in the counseling office between class assignments and there was plenty of food and water – but no restroom. Immediately I thought of my son, and realized he was in band. Hallelujah! There was a restroom in the music building. As we waited for several hours, parents began arriving to pick up their high school students. There was no plan in place, so we watched as parents and their younger children walked around outside the school while we were in lockdown and there was a gunman close by. There was no plan beyond locking the students in.

So what can you do? First determine what disasters might threaten the schools your children attend. Should the schools be prepared for earthquakes, flash floods, wildfires, or loss of power during winter conditions? All schools should be preparing for terrorist attacks, lockdowns and school fires.

Now you can help them prepare by asking some specific questions of your school principal and school board. If the questions have never been asked, the solutions are probably not in place.

Does your school have a written emergency plan? If so, ask for a copy and read it carefully to determine if it answers the following questions. If they don't have one, it is time to get involved and help create a plan or improve upon the one already in place.

A good plan should include:

A Crisis Management Team. This team should include administrators, teachers and classified staff members who all have specific assignments during an emergency. A clear chain of command should be in place and individual assignments and responsibilities should include:

1. Safe evacuation.
2. Notification of authorities.
3. Notification of parents.
4. Identification and confirmation of the location of every student.
5. Medical assistance.
6. Student needs such as sanitation, food, and water.
7. Communication between all school employees.
8. Parent and student reunification.

A Communication Plan:

1. How will the staff communicate with each other during a crisis?
2. If the electricity is out, how will they communicate? Does the school have walkie-talkies, a public address system?
3. What is the plan to notify the office if a child was out of the classroom when the emergency or lockdown occurred?
4. How will the school notify parents? Is there a web notification plan in place? Will there be a taped phone message? Can this be delivered to more than one phone number? If the school will only notify you at one phone number and you have more than one child in the school, make their emergency phone numbers different, just in case you are away from your phone. One child could use your cell phone number and one your spouse’s cell or work number, or a grandparent’s number.
5. How will the school notify students who are outside of the building in a PE class or at lunch that they need to return to the building?
6. How and who will decide whether school should be dismissed early and how parents will be notified?
7. Is there parent contact information available in the classroom as well as in the office?

Training:

1. Have all school staff been trained in emergency first aid and CPR?
2. Have staff been trained in evacuation and report procedures, and have they held practice drills?
3. Have children been trained and drilled in the proper response to a likely emergency? In other words, if you live in earthquake country do they practice drop and cover? Do they know what to do in event of a lockdown, and has it been practiced?
4. Have staff been trained how to reunite children with their parents or designated caregiver? When my daughter lived in North Carolina, children stood with their teacher every day at dismissal time until the teacher saw the parent or caregiver and then the child was allowed to leave.
5. Is there similar staff training available for parent volunteers?
6. How often does training occur?

Security Procedures:

1. How is visitor access monitored?
2. How many doors are left unlocked with free access available during the school day?
3. What security is in place for large gatherings such as athletic events and assemblies?
4. Are there parking lots next to classrooms which are open to public parking? We have not experienced many car bombs at schools but they are a real possibility. Also, if it is only a few feet from a parked car to a place where students gather, how easy would it be for a child to be snatched? Parking next to a classroom should be eliminated or fenced off, locked, and available for staff parking only, whenever possible.
5. How are students picked up after school? Are there staff members available to control traffic and observe adults picking up children?
6. Has the staff been trained to recognize suspicious mail?
7. Do students and staff know how to spot and report suspicious activity on and around school grounds?
8. How often are security procedures reviewed?

Evacuation:

1. When will a school evacuation be ordered?
2. Where is the student evacuation site? An evacuation site should be close enough for students to walk. It should be free of barriers such as fences and streams. It should provide shelter if possible.

Disaster Supplies: Does each classroom and office have the following supplies?

1. Nonperishable food (such as energy bars with a 5-year shelf life – which will save money and time in the long run).
2. Water.
3. Battery or crank radio, one with a siren is even better!
4. First aid kit.
5. Flashlight or glow sticks (I like glow sticks because you don’t have to worry about batteries).
6. Mylar space blankets (can be used as blankets or have a slit cut in them for protection from the rain or snow. Yes, earthquakes and other disaster can happen when it is raining or snowing).
7. Sanitation supplies including a port-a-potty, wet wipes, TP and biohazard bags. Last year a teacher was fired after a school lockdown for allowing his students to use a trash can as a potty. He had the students of the same sex surround the student using the facility, but he was later told this was unacceptable even though the school was in lock down. He was told he should have called the office and someone would have come for the kids… What??? How is that a lockdown? If there is enough danger for a lockdown to be issued at all, why would you usher kids from a classroom and put them in harms way, for any reason, except a life threatening illness or injury.
8. Duct tape and sheeting – it's great to cover windows if there is a threat on campus. Mylar blankets also work great to keep warm in a winter power outage.
9. Whistle
10. Student attendance roll with contact information.
11. Supplies should be contained in backpacks or buckets with handles so thy can easily be moved to an evacuation area.

Now that you understand the needs which may be unmet in your schools, get involved and get busy. It should not be difficult to get school boards and community members involved in making sure classrooms are adequately supplied.

You may need to help supplement school or district budgets to accomplish your goals. Parents are usually more than happy to contribute a few dollars to make sure their children are protected. Some schools are now requiring either a personal preparedness kit or parents are assessed an amount to provide a classroom kit. Remind the community that even if students never use the supplies you have on hand, schools are often designated as shelters during a disaster and they will be invaluable at that time. We all know relief agencies have warned us to be prepared to be on our own for at least the first 72 hours, even in a shelter.

Whether in elementary school, high school, or college, our children deserve our most thoughtful efforts to see that they are protected and provided for in the event of a real emergency – which is proven to be possible in any neighborhood or community – even yours!

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