Heat Injuries and Hydration

[tigger68]

Fellow pilots, I wrote two articles pertinent to heat injuries and hydration for the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detatchment and would like to include links to them for everyone here to read.

As we head into the summer weather (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) hydration and heat problems during trooping can be very dangerous. These are just general guidelines, with regards to the hydration, but if used can prevent further heat injuries and dehydration following a troop. Clink on the link below...

http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=10978&st=80

Just scroll down the page (it is page five) until you reach the Heat Injuries Post. It is written my me (Tigger68) so hopefully you can find it easily. The very next post after the Heat Injuries is the Hydration post with recommendations as to how much to drink, what to drink, and when to drink.

Stay safe flying!

[Blackwatch]

thanks for the heads up!!
things are slowing down now here in South Louisiana and we are moving the (fewer in summer) troops indoors.
I have a rule never to go out without my hydr8tor backpack. it takes the edge off and keeps me wet and sweaty!
I had a heat injury years ago, almost had one last year. I know the warning signs, and I dont want to go down in gear.

Best 9 bucks I spent!

[Seven Skulls]

Well written, my wife is a health care provider.
She thinks we are dieting but she has no willpower or plan.
I still try.
With the parades coming up soon I will need to buy some sports drinks and cut them down as suggested.
Which drinks do not contain all the sugars?

[Targ]

Gentlemen, one thing to keep in mind is that we wear ALL BLACK! Even the ground pounders don't have that. Add humidity and intense or even moderate sunlight to that mix and you are looking for trouble. Add fans to keep the air moving and hydrate often.

[Blackwatch]

Agreed! we slow down during the summer due to the heat but Saturday I may be pulling road detail for the pet adoptoin. Ill have water in my backpack. Also I have found the benefit of pineapple juice so I will get a fresh one and juice it to drink at the event.

[tigger68]

Well written, my wife is a health care provider.
She thinks we are dieting but she has no willpower or plan.
I still try.
With the parades coming up soon I will need to buy some sports drinks and cut them down as suggested.
Which drinks do not contain all the sugars?

Personally I would stick with Gatorade. I know they are probably the best known, but they also have the best research group of any sports drink provider out there. They are very conscious about the drinks and what is needed by not just athletes but anyone who is sweating in the heat. They have the least amount of sugar/glucose/high fructose corn syrup of any of the drinks I've discovered so far. You can purchase it in powdered form and make up your own mixture to save money.

Remember though, if you are going to be trooping in hot weather PRE-HYDRATE!!!! Drink at least 16oz prior to the event. My last troop, I had the hardest time getting people to get out of the heat and drink even though we had lots of water provided. In fact, one of the TKs didn't drink at all until the end of the event (3 hours) and ended up getting ill, even though I kept nagging him to drink something. Please, TIE Pilots are wearing black as Targ says, even the Off-Duty Pilots and Deck Officers. You need to drink.

Also, please be alert to signs of heat injury. If you feel the symptoms coming on, get out of your armor and get cooled off. I can't tell you how important this is.

Troop safe!

[Blackwatch]

when we did our costuming panel we discussed it and I showed my water bag. Some of the clones said they dont drink on purpose because they have to "go". I dont ...i sweat it ALL out. And........nine times out of ten, those same guys wind up getting sick ...and they did!

[Mosi]

I picked up some of the phase change ice packs to insert here and there. It's the stuff that freezes at 58 degrees and lasts a couple of hours. Since the material freezes at 58, that means that's the temp it feels like on your skin so you don't get TOO cold.
http://www.amazon.com/Inserts-Phase-Cha ... pd_sbs_a_4

ditch the vest (too bulky) and just get the inserts and sew in a pocket for them here and there. They also make a neck band and a hard hat insert, which I bought also.

[Voltin]

I'll admit that Gatorade is good to drink before trooping in the heat, but water is a MUST!
Everyone should have at the very least one fan installed in thier buckets with a extra battery on hand,
but be sure not to store the battery anywhere near your skin. Most of us have heard of the horror stories of doing so.

Remember to take a break and chillout in the shade for a few minutes every now and then.
Sometimes we forget about are own basic needs as time flies while we are having fun.

[Blackwatch]

yesterdays pet adoption troop was one of the hottest we have ever done. temps with humidity over 100. i stood at roadside with our sandtrooper and others behind us for a good twenty minutes or so. By that time, the ones out of armor were ready to go inside. I had my Hydr8tor filled with ice inside my coveralls and the tube feeding to me so the whole time im drinking ice water. THAT really helped a ton. When i went back inside I would eat a banana. I know me, and I sweat out my potassium. That liter and a half in-helmet makes a tremendous difference. Ive had a heat injury so I know my warning signs and know when to cool it.
By the end of the day it was time for my cat litter duty.

[Targ]

and we all wondered what that square in the back armor was for...to either hide a hunchback or a water pouch.

[tigger68]

:palpy and we all wondered what that square in the back armor was for...to either hide a hunchback or a water pouch.

Waterpouch, definitely a water pouch...now if I could only figure out how to hide one in my Deck Officer's uniform... I could use it next week at our troop for McConnell AFB Beach Day.

[Blackwatch]

I wear my Hydr8R under my IC at all times. its always there, but you dont see it.
The Hydr8r is a 1.5L black bag with a really long tube. Unlike the Camelback it has no bulk and weighs nothing. I replaced the straigth tube with a 90* tube bite valve from Ebay. I tuck the tube under my neckseal/balaclava and have it with me in-helmet and tuck the tube inside my jumpsuit for going helmetless.
here, Im wearing it in this pic....

[Tau-1]

For those that add a pack to the back armor, can you post pics? How to access the hose?

[TEMPLAR]

I suffered HEAT EXHAUSTION this past Saturday, as I was walking in my TIE pilot gear to a con, called MECHACON, here in the French Quarter. It was like in the mid-90s and it was 10am, sun was out...but the 97% humidity just drained me and almost passed out. Make sure drink tons of water and rest up before going outside on HOT days.