Keep your cool! (From Chelmsford Weekly News)

Keep your cool!

1:01pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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AS temperatures reach the 90s, firefighters and health chiefs have warned people to make sure they stay safe and well.

On Tuesday, Chelmsford firefighters were called to a grass fire opposite The Rhyle, off Lodge Road, in Writtle.

Caused by a discarded cigarette in grass and shrub, it had just spread on to the edge of a standing crop in the field.

Sub officer Rob Sherwin, whose watch tackled the blaze, said quick work by the crew stopped the fire spreading too far.

But he warned in a few more days, with temperatures as they are, crops will become “tinder dry” and the risks from grass fires will become greater.

He said: “Alongside the main trunk roads are where the problems can occur. Drivers don’t think and throw their cigarettes out the window, causing a fire.

“If you have a field of corn which is dry and ready to cut, and then get a little wind with that, it will travel. I have seen it spread faster than an adult can run.”

Mr Sherwin urged motorists and pedestrians to make sure their cigarettes were fully stubbed out and to get rid of them carefully.

He added: “If appliances are tied up dealing with these sorts of avoidable incidents, then more serious incidents will suffer because of the delay in getting appliances to cover.”

The message from NHS Mid Essex is: “Enjoy the sun, but beat the heat.”

Heatwave conditions could be coming early next week with temperatures rising throughout the weekend, with a 60 per cent risk of a heatwave for Monday and Tuesday next week.

NHS Mid Essex’s director for public health improvement, Jan Yates, said heat exhaustion can happen to anyone in hot weather and if it isn’t treated, it can lead to heatstroke, which can be dangerous.  She added: “Everyone is potentially at risk, but the risk can be greater for certain groups such as the elderly, babies and young children, and people with mobility problems.”

Symptoms of heatstroke can be varied and can occur suddenly.

“Headaches, nausea, intense thirst, sleepiness, confusion, aggression, convulsion and loss of consciousness can all be signs of heatstroke, which may cause irreversible damage to your health,” she said.

“We are not trying to deter people from enjoying the summer, but we are just urging them to be cautious.

“It is easy to get carried away when enjoying the hot weather and to forget about taking necessary precautions, but if people act sensibly they should be able to avoid any potential risk to their health.”

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