Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet annually many people succumb to extreme heat. Extreme heat caused 7,415 heat-related deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2010.

People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and properly cool themselves.

The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough. In such cases, a person’s body temperature rises rapidly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs.

Several factors affect the body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather.

When the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly.

Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.

What is extreme heat?

Conditions of extreme heat are defined as summertime temperatures that are substantially hotter and/or more humid than average for a location at that time of year.

Humid or muggy conditions, which add to the discomfort of high temperatures, occur when a “dome” of high atmospheric pressure traps hazy, damp air near the ground.

To protect your health when temperatures are extremely high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. The following tips are important:

Drink plenty of fluids

During hot weather, you will need to increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour.

If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.

Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol, or large amounts of sugar — these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Replace salt and minerals

Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body. These are necessary for your body and must be replaced. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, non-alcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. However, if you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.

Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen

Wear as little clothing as possible when you are at home. Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool itself and causes a loss of body fluids. It also causes pain and damages the skin.

If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) along with sunglasses. Apply sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels) 30 minutes prior to going out.

Schedule outdoor activities carefully

If you must be outdoors, try to limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours. Try to rest often in shady areas so that your body’s thermostat will have a chance to recover.

Use a buddy system

When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness. If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day.

Do not leave children, pets in cars

Even in cool temperatures, cars can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly. Even with the windows cracked open, interior temperatures can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes. Anyone left inside is at risk for serious heat-related illnesses or even death. Children who are left unattended in parked cars are at greatest risk for heat stroke, and possibly death.

(Editor’s note: Information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

The first day of school is right around the corner, and school days bring congestion. Yellow school buses are picking up their charges; kids on bikes are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, and harried parents are trying to drop their kids off before work.

It’s never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school.

If You’re Dropping Off

Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids. More children are hit by cars near schools than at any other location, according to the National Safe Routes to School program. The following apply to all school zones:

• Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles
• Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school
• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school

Sharing the Road with Young Pedestrians

According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they’re walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:

• Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
• In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection
• Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign
  Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas
• Don’t honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way
• Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
• Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way

Sharing the Road with School Buses

If you’re driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

• Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus
• Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks

Sharing the Road with Bicyclists

On most roads, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as vehicles, but bikes can be hard to see. Children riding bikes create special problems for drivers because usually they are not able to properly determine traffic conditions. The most common cause of collision is a driver turning left in front of a bicyclist.

• When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between your car and the cyclist
• When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the rider to pass
• If you’re turning right and a bicyclists is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider go through the intersection first, and always use your turn signals
• Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling; children especially have a tendency to do this
• Be extra vigilant in school zones and residential neighborhoods
• Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars
• Check side mirrors before opening your door

By exercising a little extra care and caution, drivers and pedestrians can co-exist safely in school zones.

(Information provided by the National Safety Council.)

According to the Department of Homeland Security, no U.S. states or territories are currently subject to REAL ID Act enforcement.

This means those wishing to visit Fort Leonard Wood will no longer have to present a second form of identification along with their driver’s license to gain access to the installation.

Extensions have been granted for 30 states and territories, including Missouri. The extension allows for federal agencies to accept driver’s licenses and identification cards from these states and U.S. territories at federal facilities and nuclear power plants until Oct. 10, 2017.

For information on REAL ID enforcement or to find out when a state or territory’s extension is scheduled to expire, visit https://www.dhs.gov/real-id.

If an extension expires, individuals from those states or territories will need to bring a second form of identification to visit Fort Leonard Wood.

Visitors without a Department of Defense identification card will still need to receive a background check to gain access.

All personnel should have a current driver’s license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration when visiting the installation.

For more information, contact the Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office at 573.563.4145.

What is it?

Violent extremism poses a threat to the Army, both within the homeland and military operations overseas. Acts of violent extremism undermine the rule of law and the protection of human and civil rights.

The threat is not limited to a single political, religious, or ideological background. A wide variety of violent extremism movements pose a threat, for example: white supremacists, eco-terrorists, antigovernment, or radical separatist groups. Regardless of its motivation, violent extremism can have devastating effects on civilian and military communities alike (as evidenced by the attacks at Fort Hood and Washington Navy Yard, among others).

Some radicalized individuals become active members in groups and take action within their affiliated group’s purview. Others, (often referred to as “lone wolves”) don’t have direct connection with a group, but are inspired by a group’s rhetoric or group-sponsored violence.

What has the Army done?

All members of the Army community play an important role in preventing vulnerable individuals from entering a path to radicalization and violence. Education, promotion of awareness, and dialogue are important tools for prevention.

Advice and assistance from legal counsel, law enforcement, health service providers, and other community service providers can help complete a picture of a concerned individuals’ behavior or actions.

What is the Army doing?

The Army’s Antiterrorism Division continues to explore ways and means to inform and educate the community on the risks and preventive measures to counter violent extremism. The Office of the Provost Marshal General has planned quarterly themes and special events through the remainder of fiscal year 2018 (FY18) to raise awareness and educate the community:

• Antiterrorism Awareness Month (August 2017)
• Empowering Antiterrorism Coordinators (1Q/FY18 theme)
• Continual Evolving Threat (2Q/FY18 theme)
• Annual Antiterrorism Training Conference (Feb. 18, 2018)
• Leveraging the Combatting Terrorism Center (3Q/FY18 theme)
• Expanding Community Outreach (4Q/FY18 theme)

Why is this important to the Army?

With the rapid changes in online communications, violent ideologies and propaganda are now more accessible and difficult to identify and stop the extremists before they act. The threat of violent extremism is growing, as is the number of extremist attacks (since 2009) linked to the military. All members of the Army community need to understand the extremist threat and duly report any alarming activity or behavior for timely and appropriate intervention and action.

(Note:  Information provided by the U.S. Army Office of the Provost Marshal General.)