Summer in the city; Hydration key for outdoor workers sweltering in the sun

When the temperatures climb into the 90s, outdoor workers don?t have the option of escaping to the beach or hiding inside an air-conditioned office.Ray Elie, a resident engineer with CDM, has been overseeing the Hamilton Reconstruction Project in Saugus as the roadway and sidewalks are fixed on the street. He says he gives his team lots of water breaks to combat the heat, but really “they get kind of used to the heat, more so than the average person.”Washington Santos, owner of Curitiba Construction, is so used to the heat while working that he wears pants and boots no matter the weather, claiming that he?d be hotter in shorts. “It?s different for everybody,” he said. Santos? crew was working on a house on Elm Street for the Lynn Housing Authority on Tuesday afternoon. To keep cool Santos had his crew working on the opposite side of the house from where the sun was.His employee, John Cardozo, estimated that he would drink four to six bottles of water before the day was over. He was just happy not to be on the roof, where he said it could be 25 to 30 degrees warmer than the ground temperature.Athletic trainer Luz Quirk is working the Agganis Games at Manning Field this week. She?s seen enough of severe dehydration and heat exhaustion in athletes to know the best way to prevent it.?Hydrate all day long, and even the day before,” said Quirk. “Water before, during and after the game is really important.”Quirk also recommends eating fruits and vegetables with high water content like cucumbers. She says drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are efficient for hydration but need to be watered down to cut the spike from the sugar high and low.Symptoms of dehydration include flushed cheeks, sluggishness, dizziness, headache, nausea and profuse sweating. Quirk says if she encounters an athlete who looks dehydrated, she puts them in the shade and has them take off layers like soccer socks and shin guards and gives them small sips of water.Though Quirk has never had to deal with one of her athletes suffering from heat stroke, she is always on guard. “The important thing is to catch it early,” she said. She looks for athletes that are slowing down in the heat to remind them to hydrate.?If kids are starting to feel fatigued or tired, I?ll put an ice pack on their neck,” she said.Gregg Ellenberg, Director of Camp Sachem at the Saugus YMCA, needs to make sure he keeps campers and his college-aged staff alike cool during the 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. days.?Any kid who?s looking hot or too red we?ll take inside and give them water,” said Ellenberg. “Luckily we?re on a property with a lot of tree cover.”Ellenberg reminds his staff to give the campers plenty of water breaks and to re-apply sunscreen. “There?s a lot of checking in with the kids to see if they?re alright,” he said.Ellenberg takes full advantage of the camp?s surroundings to keep the kids cool and entertained. Activities are held inside and outside to rotate campers and staff out of the heat and sun. Ellenberg says even though the kids are inside, there is no TV or video games allowed. “We find ways to keep them fully engaged,” he said. Activities are sometimes even altered on days when the mercury runs high, such as on Tuesday when the campers enjoyed two sessions instead of one at the YMCA?s outdoor pool.?We plan for days like this,” he said. “It?s not always a surprise.”