(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

Emergency health providers are reminding families to keep kids safe during the hot summer months.

Opening windows and taking kids for a swim can help keep everyone cool but can also increase a child’s risk of injury by falling or drowning, warned BC Children’s Hospital and BC Emergency Health Services last Thursday.

The government needs to do more to regulate indoor temperatures so that no family ever has to choose between opening a window to try and cool down or risking injury in a hot apartment, says Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and policy analyst.

“We need maximum and minimum indoor temperatures built into the Residential Tenancy Act,” Peters says. Without regulations it is lower-income people who will be impacted the most by heat because they live in older buildings without air conditioning or mechanical cooling systems.

“Safe indoor temperatures should be part of the building code and not made a personal responsibility item,” she adds.

So far this year 12 children have been treated at BC Children’s for injuries related to window and balcony falls and three children have been treated for accidental and/or near drownings, the hospital said in an emailed press release last Thursday.

Hot weather-associated injuries are on track to surpass last year’s numbers where 14 children were treated for falls and 13 were treated for near drowning in all of 2023, said Dr. Meghan Gilley, an emergency department physician at BC Children’s.

“It’s warm enough for folks to want to open their windows to catch a breeze, but it only takes one window that opens more than 10 centimetres or a moment of distraction to put a kid at risk of falling or drowning,” she added.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed there have been no deaths related to falling for people under 19 so far this year, but there were four such fatalities from 2021 to 2023.

Data on the coroner’s website said six of the 101 people who drowned in B.C. last year were 19 years and under and one of the 11 people who died from heat was under 30.

There are affordable things families can do to keep kids safe around windows and balconies, says Brian Twaites, BC Emergency Health Services paramedic public information officer.

He recommends buying a window guard or child lock that lets a window open only 10 centimetres. These can be found at hardware stores for around $5, he says.

But this loops back to the affordability aspect where low-income people are the most likely to be living in the hottest homes, Peters says. Opening a window only 10 centimetres won’t allow for much of a cooling breeze.

Think of this terrible example, she says: a parent who lives on the 10th storey feels woozy due to the heat in their home. They open their window, leave for a moment to be sick in the bathroom, and then realize their kid has climbed out the window.

“When you leave people with terrible choices, they’ll pick one of the terrible choices and then people point at them and blame them,” she says. “Stop putting people in situations where they only have bad choices.”

A solution would be for the government to require all buildings to have mechanical cooling systems, she says. This ensures windows stay closed or are only opened a safe amount and no one is at risk of heat-related injury.

Twaites and Gilley stressed that window screens are not designed as protective equipment and should not be relied on to keep kids safe.

The BC Children’s website has recommendations for how to keep kids safe around windows and waterways, including making it harder for kids to crawl out of windows by moving furniture and planters away from windows and balcony ledges.

Don’t underestimate a child’s mobility and have age-appropriate talks with kids about the dangers of opening or playing near windows or in water, the website says.

BC Emergency Health Services has released a series of informational videos about low-cost closed-window cooling techniques which can be found on its Instagram, and on X.

The techniques include putting blankets or cardboard covered in reflective aluminum foil in windows to block out the sun, and placing a bowl of ice in front of a fan as a low-cost air conditioner.

Most social housing has poor insulation, large windows and thin curtains, Peters says. Blackout curtains can help keep out the sun’s heat, she adds.

Cold compresses are a “dynamite” way to cool down, Twaites says. You can make your own by getting a towel wet and putting it in a plastic bag in the freezer. Once it’s cold to the touch, take it out and place it on your neck, groin or in your armpit.

Symptoms of mild to severe heat-related injury to watch out for

It’s important to stay hydrated during warm weather.

If you’re drinking lots of water and don’t seem to be peeing much, that can be a sign of mild or moderate heat illness, Twaites says.

Other symptoms he says to look out for include headaches, nausea, weakness, irritability, lightheadedness, excessive thirst, heat rash and cramps.

If you or someone you know are experiencing symptoms of mild to moderate heat illness you should immediately seek out a space where you can cool down, he says. Many municipalities have lists or maps of public cooling centres and their hours on their websites, like this City of Vancouver website. Malls, movie theatres or cars with air conditioning can also help people cool down, he says.

Mild to moderate heat illness isn’t an emergency so people shouldn’t call 911 if they’re experiencing symptoms, Twaites says. Instead call 811 to speak with a nurse who can assess you over the phone and connect you with emergency services if necessary, he says.

However, severe heat-related illness is an emergency and warrants calling 911.

Symptoms of severe heat-related illness can include the above symptoms as well as vomiting, loss of consciousness, more pronounced confusion, disorientation, movement and co-ordination issues, not sweating anymore, having a hot flush but pale skin, not urinating anymore or very little, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate and/or a core body temperature above 39 C.

“That’s when we’re really starting to worry about an emergency,” Twaites says.

For parents Gilley recommends keeping kids hydrated and if they have concerns regarding kid’s behaviour, fluid intake or vomiting to call 811.

“If you’re feeling hot it’s likely so are they,” she adds.

People at the highest risk from heat-related injuries or death are people who live without air conditioning, people who live alone, people who are five and under or 65 and up, people who are pregnant, and people with mental illness or who use substances, Twaites says.

Chronic health conditions can also compound and make people more intolerant to heat, he adds.

Peters adds that there’s a “long list of pharmaceuticals including over the counter ones that can effect susceptibility to heat” and many health conditions can mean people have an increased susceptibility to heat and not know it.

High indoor temperatures and prolonged exposure to high temperatures are generally what put people at risk of heat-related illness, Twaites says.

Making a plan to check in on friends, family or neighbours who are at higher risk of heat-related illness can be “lifesaving,” Twaites says. If you can only check in once a day then aim for between 3 to 8 p.m. when indoor temperatures are likely at their peak. Check if the person has any symptoms and take them to a cooler area if necessary.

When swimming with your kids, keep them within arm’s length and never assume just because they can swim they are not at risk of drowning, Twaites said.

He recommends removing toys from pools or splash pads and never leaving bodies of water unattended when there’s children around.

A life jacket should be worn by kids when they are around or in water and should be regularly checked to make sure it fits and is age and weight appropriate.

Certain parts of inflatable lifejackets come with expiry dates and should be replaced every three years.

— This story was originally published by The Tyee.

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