Despite the heat, people staying active

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - It's July. There are summer camps and sports camps for area youths. It's also hotter now than in any stretch since 1988.

But despite the heat, the camps continue, though the participants are drinking plenty of fluids, and at least in one soccer camp, running through a lawn sprinkler.

Their camp runs for two hours, and one mother was worried about the extreme heat.

"They seem to be doing much better today," said Sarah Amondson. "They turned on the sprinkler, so they got to run through it. Yesterday, (my daughter) was really hot. She laid on the floor (when she got home.)"

Because camps are set up months in advance and involve temporary employees and lots of participatns, it's difficult to reschedule.

The sprinkler is a good idea, officials said.

"I think we’re watching them carefully," Dianne Strawser of the EGR Recreation Department told 24 Hour News 8. "When they’re getting tired, and you can tell when they get fatigued, we’re bringing them in to get a rest. I think, honestly, the coaches need a little break, too, because it’s so hot out there."

But adults don't get as much supervision as kids. Road construction workers seem to know the smart thing to do by drinking lots of fluids, and getting rest in the shade.

East Grand Rapids Police Chief Mark Herald runs up to four miles every day at lunch, regardless of the temperature.

"I know what my limits are," he said. "There's a little bit of cloud cover and I'm not pushing myself, but as I sit at my desk and think, 'I need to run,' I say I'm going to cut back on it but I'm not going to get myself to the point of exhaustion."

Doctors say people need to heed the warnings of heat exhaustion : profuse sweating, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps and nausea.

"Most 8- and 9-year olds often know the symptoms, but I think they need to be prompted," Dr. Tiffany Letts of Metro Health System said.

People with those symptoms need to be brought to cool areas immediately and given rest and fluids.

"If those things don't work after an hour to an hour-and-a-half, it's probably a good idea to seek medical care," the doctor said.