Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, July 1, 2023

8


Mountain View News Saturday, July 1, 2023 


PUBLIC HEALTH URGES RESIDENTS TO STAY INFORMED 
AND PROTECT THEMSELVES AND OTHERS DURING 
FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND HEAT WAVE

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reminds everyone 
to take pre-cautions to avoid heat-related illness this holiday weekend. The National 
Weather Service is predicting hot and dry weather with elevated fire weather conditions 
across the desert, lower mountains, and interior valleys. Daytime high temperatures are 
expected to peak in the 90s to 109 degrees with hot-test temperatures on Saturday.

Extreme heat poses a substantial health risk, especially for young children, the elderly, 
people with chronic diseases, pregnant individuals, people with disabilities, and people 
who are socially isolated who may be especially sensitive to negative health impacts 
from extreme heat. Never leave infants, children, pets, or those with impairments alone 
in a parked car for any amount of time. Cars get very hot inside, even if the windows are 
‘cracked’ or open – it can take only a few minutes for the tempera-tures inside a car to 
rise to levels that can kill. Call 911 if you see a child or pet in a car alone.

If you are at substantial health risk, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice 
a day during a heat wave. If you know someone who has a substantial health risk to 
heat – including those who are sick or have chronic conditions, older adults, pregnant 
women, children, and those who live alone– check on them at least twice a day. Infants 
and young children, of course, need much more frequent monitoring.

Here are simple but important steps to stay safe:

Stay Cool:

• Those lacking air conditioning should go to a cooling center, library or public 
place such as a shopping mall to cool off for a few hours each day.

• Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 
90s, they will not prevent heat-related illnesses.

o Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much 
better way to cool off. Additionally cool compresses may provide relief.

o Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.

• If spending time outdoors, avoid physical exertion or exercising outdoors dur 
ing the hottest parts of the day to avoid overheating. Get medical attention if 
you experience a rapid, strong pulse, feel delirious, or have a body temperature 
above 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

o Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest 
and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time.

o Use cool compresses or misting.

o When working outside, drink plenty of fluids even if you are not thirsty and 
take rest breaks in the shade.

o Wear lightweight, loose fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and 
sunlight.

o Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck and wear loose-fitting 
clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun and mosquitoes.

o Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronc 
exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to 
blindness.

o Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before venturing out 
doors and re-apply at least every two hours – sunscreen may reduce the risk of 
skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians. Sunscreen may also 
prevent premature aging.

Stay Hydrated:

• Drink plenty of water or fluids and keep hydrated throughout the day. Drink 
more fluids, regardless of how active you are. Don't wait until you're thirsty to 
drink.

o Warning: If your doctor limits the amount you drink or has you on water pills, 
ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.

o Stay away from very sugary, caffeinated, or alcoholic drinks—these 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 that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals 
you lose in sweat.

o If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other

 chroic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or 
taking salt tablets.

• Keep your pets hydrated: provide plenty of fresh water for your pets and leave 
the water in a shady area.

Know the Signs of Heat-related illnesses and What to do:

Heat-related illness can be one or more of the following medical conditions including: 
heat rash, heat cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, which can lead to 
death. Warning signs of heat-related illness vary and may include heavy sweating, muscle 
cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting, paleness, tiredness, dizziness, or 
disorientation or confusion.

• Heat Cramps. Signs of heat cramps include muscle pains and spasms triggered 
by heavy activ-ity. They usually involve the stomach muscles or the legs. If a person has 
heat cramps:

o Stop physical activity and move to a cool place.

o Drink water or a sports drink.

o Do not resume strenuous physical activities for several hours after heat cramps 
go away.

o Get medical help right away if: cramps last longer than 1 hour; someone is on a 
low-sodium diet; or someone has heart problems.

• Heat Exhaustion. Warning signs include heavy sweating, cramps, headache, 
nausea or vomiting, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, and fainting. If a person 
has heat exhaustion:

o Move to a cool place.

o Rest, lying down.

o Loosen clothes.

o Put cool, wet cloths on the body (head, neck, armpits, and groin) or take a cool 
shower or bath.

o Sip cool, nonalcoholic beverages water.

o Get medical help right away if someone is throwing up; symptoms get worse; 
or symptoms last longer than one hour.

• Heat Stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Warning signs of heat stroke 
include red, hot, dry skin; very high body temperature; dizziness; nausea; confusion, 
strange behavior, or unconsciousness; rapid pulse or throbbing headache. If a person has 
heat stroke:

o Call 9-1-1 right away.

o Move the person to a cooler or shady place.

o Help lower the person’s temperature with cool wet cloths on head, neck, arm 
pits and groin or a cool bath.

o Do not give the person anything to drink.

 Public Health offers the additional recommendations during high temperature 
days:

• Take care with possible fire ignition sources such as fireworks and lawn care 
equipment.

o Keep children safe in and around cars. NEVER leave an infant or child alone in 
a car. Touch a child’s safety seat and safety belt before using it to ensure it’s not too hot 
before securing a child.

o Teach children not to play in, on, or around cars. They could accidentally trap 
themselves in a hot vehicle.

o Always lock car doors and trunks – even at home – and keep keys out of children’s 
reach.

o Always make sure children have left the car when you reach your destination.

• Check on family, friends and neighbors who are at risk for heat-related illness, 
like those who are sick or have chronic conditions, older adults, pregnant women, children, 
those who live alone, pets, and outdoor workers and athletes. Call 911 right away if 
you see these symp-toms: high body temperature (103°F or higher), vomiting, dizziness, 
confusion, and hot, red, dry, or damp skin. Heat stroke is a medical emergency.

• Eat light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads. If you pack food, put 
it in a cooler or carry an ice pack. Don’t leave it sitting in the sun. Meats and dairy products 
can spoil quick-ly in hot weather.

• If you are wearing a mask, avoid strenuous workouts wearing face coverings or 
masks not intended for athletic purposes.

• Visit your power company’s website or contact them by phone to determine if 
you are sched-uled for a rolling power outage.

Stay Informed:

Check for updates: Check your local news for weather forecasts, extreme heat 
alerts, and safety tips, and to learn about any cooling centers in your area.

County and City partners have planned ways to safely operate cooling centers 
during times of high heat. Residents who do not have access to air conditioning 
are encouraged to take advantage of these free cooling centers. To find a location 
near you, visit https://ready.lacounty.gov/heat/ or call 211.

Los Angeles County residents and business owners, including people with disabilities 
and others with access and functional needs can call 2-1-1 for emergency 
preparedness information and other referral services. The toll-free 2-1-1 
number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 211 LA County services 
can also be accessed by visiting 211la.org.

The Spirit of July 4th

Over seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During 
the July 4th weekend alone (the biggest hot-dog holiday of the year), 155 million will be downed.

Every year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each. They are clearly one of the country's most 
loved, but most misunderstood, comfort foods.

Like most great events in history, there are varying accounts of how it all began and who started it. The 
history of the Hot Dog is no different. You will find many references throughout history to the origins 
of a Hot Dog-like thing called a sausage. Here are some stories of how the Hot Dog was born.

The invention of the Hot Dog, is often attributed to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. However, 
similar sausages were made and consumed in Europe, particularly in Germany, as early as 1864, and 
the earliest example of a hot dog bun dates to New York City in the 1860s. German immigrants appear 
to have sold hot dogs, along with milk rolls and sauerkraut, from pushcarts in New York City's Bowery 
during the 1860s. The Hot Dog's association with baseball also predates the 1904 World's Fair. Chris 
von der Ahe, owner of the St Louis Browns, sold Hot Dogs at his ballpark in the 1880s.

Who's Served the First Hot Dog? Also in doubt is who first served the first Hot Dog. Wieners and frankfurters 
don't become Hot Dogs until someone puts them in a roll or a bun. There are several stories or 
legends as to how this first happened. Specific people were have been credited for for supposedly inventing 
the Hot Dog. Charles Feltman and Antonoine Feuchtwanger were among the few.

In 1867, Charles Feltman, a German butcher, opened up the first Coney Island hot dog stand in Brooklyn, 
New York and sold 3,684 dachshund sausages in a roll during his first year in business He is also 
credited with the idea of the warm bun.

Although the exact origins of the Chicago Dog are not documented, Vienna Beef of Chicago claims the 
"Chicago-style" Hot Dog was invented by two European immigrants at the Chicago World's Fair and 
Columbian Exhibition in 1893.

– I know this may be very difficult for some Dodger fans but the love of the hotdog and baseball did not 
start with the Dodgers. 

Program Note This Sunday Radio Show will be on at 5pm Angels Radio AM 830 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com