Tips to Avoid Heat Stroke

I originally shared these tips for avoiding heat stroke as part of a weather forecast, but the tips for protecting yourself from heat exhaustion and heat stroke apply any time so I removed the part for a specific day and am leaving it up as a sort of public service announcement.

For tomorrow, June 18, 2018, the Galion weather forecast is predicting another sweltering day with temperatures above 90-degrees for the second day in a row.

So, I thought I would toss some tips on how to avoid heat stroke out there as a reminder to everyone to take care of yourselves in this extreme weather.

Signs of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

Heat stroke symptoms can look and feel like heart attack symptoms, and even the symptoms of some other conditions, as noted by WebMD.

Heat exhaustion is actually the thing you go through first before it turns to heat stroke, so we'll start with the symptoms of heat exhaustion.

It's important to note, though, that heat stroke can occur without any of the heat exhaustion symptoms happening first.

Heat exhaustion symptoms:

• Dizziness
• Fatigue 
• Headache
• Muscle aches and cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness

Heat stroke symptoms:

• Absence of sweat
• Agitation
• Breathing problems
• Coma
• Confusion and disorientation
• Elevated body temperature
• Flushed dry skin
• Hallucinations
• Hot red skin
• Rapid pulse
• Seizures
• Strange behavior

What to Do for Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

According to the CDC, if you are experiencing signs of heat exhaustion, you should move to a cooler spot, loosen tight clothing, take a cool bath or put cool, wet cloths against your skin, and take sips of water.

If you start to feel worse, throw up, or your heat exhaustion symptoms linger for over an hour, seek medical help immediately.

If you or someone you're with experiences signs of heat stroke, treat it as a medical emergency and call 911.

If possible, move to a cooler location and apply cool compresses or a cool bath, but the CDC says don't give a heat stroke patient anything to drink. (I didn't know that before I researched for this article!)

Tips for How to Avoid Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

While it's good to know what to do, it's even better to avoid the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke altogether.

The Mayo Clinic offers some suggestions for that. 

• Rehydrate to replace the water your body loses by sweating by drinking plenty of water or electrolyte beverages. 
• Skip sugary, icy, and booze-laden beverages because these can interfere with your body's natural ability to adjust your core temperature.
• Take a cool shower or bath.
• Put a damp piece of fabric against your skin, like a sheet, towel or bandanna, and direct the airflow from a fan at yourself, or anyone experiencing these heat-related effects.
• Go somewhere shady or preferably air-conditioned to cool off. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find a way to beat the heat during all the hot days this summer. in the 92-degree temperatures tomorrow. 

Geyer's in Galion: Store Closure Announcement

I grew up getting groceries at Geyer's, and it was a great store at one time, so I was sad to see the announcement today of their pending closure.

Geyers Grocery Store Closing

The screenshot above is the Facebook announcement from Geyers about their pending closure.

As of today, June 8, 2018, all the non-perishable products at Geyers in Galion are 25-percent off until gone (with the exception of tobacco and alcohol.)

I haven't gone there much in recent years, because the prices were higher than other local grocery stores and stores in neighboring towns, but I did still stop in on occasion if I just needed one or two things.

If their prices had been competitive, I - like many other Galionites most likely - would have kept shopping there more frequently.

(Even shoppers who love this town and want to support local businesses will go elsewhere if the prices and service are not right.)

I do still shop in town and would like to note that Save-a-Lot and Drug Mart are still options for grocery shopping in Galion.

What Went Wrong for This Galion Grocery Store?

I'm not going to speculate on what went wrong, I'll leave that for everyone else.

I'm just sorry to see a longstanding Galion grocery store going out of business, I want to wish the workers who are losing their jobs well, and I want to say thank you to Geyer's for serving the community all these decades.

Want to Report Railroad Crossings Blocked by Trains?

Lately, I hear and read a lot of complaints from Galionites getting stopped at railroad crossings blocked by trains, and I often hear that there's no one to complain to who can do anything about it.

Report Blocked Railroad Crossings in Galion

But, there is an agency that WANTS to do something about it - the PUCO - and they are asking people to report blocked crossings to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Blocked Railroad Crossing image courtesy of Pixabay

The PUCO provides a form on their website that anyone who encounters a train blocking the crossing can fill out.

The form is even designed to be filled out EACH TIME a train blocks a crossing, so, for example, if you get caught waiting on trains around the same time every day at the crossing on Portland Way (Which is, by the way, crossing number: 262040V - the crossing number is needed for the form), you can go to the PUCO's form and enter that information every day if necessary.

The PUCO Rail Division

The PUCO Rail Division does explain that they have no authority over blocked railroad crossings, BUT, they are collecting this information as part of a partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration, which is also called the FRA - and the Federal Railroad Administration does have authority over this.

To give you a bit more information on this, blocked railroad crossings have become a nationwide problem, and it's been an ongoing problem for a while in this country (not only in Galion.) 

The more reports the PUCO and FRA get, the more accurate their information will be, and the more they will be able to do something about the problem.

The Form to Report Blocked Railroad Crossings

The form asks a number of questions, but it's a fairly short form.

• Crossing Number: Crossing numbers aren't common information, but there is a link under the blank that takes you to the FRA page to determine the crossing number.
• Street: Optional, because the crossing number tells them the street location
• Date Observed: Mandatory to submit the form
• Time of Day: Optional but helpful
• How Long the Crossing Was Blocked: Mandatory to submit the form. 
• If you left before the crossing reopened, you can mention that in the "Other conditions related to the blockage" box, just mention how long you waited or how long you know it was blocked.) 
• Cause: (Optional - If Known)
• Train Stopped or Moving: Most of the blockages I've seen in Galion, the train is simply stopped and blocking the tracks, but be sure to add this information.
• Direction of Train Travel: ...
• Other Conditions Related to the Blockage: ...
• Impacts to Community: This is where you get a chance to share information about things like emergency service vehicles unable to navigate to the hospital or a fire, etc. 
• It's also your chance to mention things like trains blocking the track and making you late for work or anything you may have been late in attending.

Contacting the FRA Directly

While following the directions provided as part of this project is the best chance of Galionites ever actually getting a remedy for this situation, you can also contact the FRA directly if you feel the need, and contact info for the FRA follows...

The FRA has regional offices across the country, and you can visit this online map to find details about contacting the regional FRA office directly. 

(Based on the map, Galionites would contact the Region 2 office at (800)724-5992 or FRA headquarters at (202)493-6014.)

No one can really guess at this point what, if anything, will come of Galion citizens filling out this form about blocked train crossings in Galion, but two things are certain:

• The squeaky wheel gets the grease... 
• Remaining silent on the issue ensures the Federal Railroad Administration will put their attention elsewhere when they start to make changes. 
• (After all, if they don't know, they can't fix it.)

Filling out the form costs nothing, they don't even ask for your name on it, and it's a short, easy form to fill out. 

So, if you've been feeling annoyed with all the blocked train crossings lately, this is your chance to complain to someone who has the power to do something about it.