LANCASTER, Pa. — Dozens of families looked for some relief from Tuesday's heat and packed the Conestoga Pines Swimming Pool in Lancaster.
“The only place you can be is at the pool,” said Dan Diehl of West Lampeter Township.
Annalise Kauffman, one of the pool’s lifeguards, remained on watch as temperatures soared into the mid-90’s. She said staff rotate every half hour to make sure they, too, get breaks from the extreme heat.
“Part of our training is we need to be able to identify heat strokes, when people are dehydrated and what to do in those situations, and also how we can prevent ourselves from suffering from it,” Kauffman said.
As the sweltering weather keeps its grip on the area, some health officials are preparing for an increase in heat-related illnesses. Another day of the heatwave has some county coroners worried they may see an increase in heat-related deaths.
Though there have been no heat-related deaths reported in York County so far, Coroner Pam Gay said local hospitals have seen many patients with heat-related illnesses.
“We’ve heard that through our hospital connections so it’s still something that we are very concerned about, but thankfully I think people are getting medical attention, at least in our area, in time,” Coroner Gay said.
Sometimes just a few minutes in this heat is all it takes before experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Excessive sweating
- Cool, pale, clammy skin
- Rapid, weak pulse
- Muscle cramps
Symptoms of heat stroke include:
- Throbbing headache
- No sweating
- Red, hot, dry skin
- Rapid, strong pulse
- May lose consciousness
Though everyone is susceptible, Coroner Gay said seniors, especially those with dementia, are most at risk for a heat stroke.
“They can have a heat stroke or a point where their temperature goes so high that it can’t really be brought back down very easily without having permanent organ failure,” Coroner Gay added.
For lifeguards like Kauffman, they will continue to look out for everyone under the sun all summer long. Thankfully, Kauffman said, she hasn’t had to use her lifeguard training just yet.
“We’ll see a kid occasionally who looks like he is very dehydrated and we’ll get down and ask him 'hey are you okay, you should go get a drink, take a little break,' but other than that we haven’t experienced anything major here,” Kauffman said.
As a precautionary measure and to minimize the dangers of the excessive heat, the Lancaster County Office of Aging is extending hours of operation at the following Senior Community Centers on Tuesday July 6, 2021 and Wednesday July 7, 2021:
• Columbia Senior Center, Columbia United Methodist Church, 510 Walnut Street, Columbia, 7:30 AM-2:45 PM Ph: 717-684-4850
• Elizabethtown Area Senior Center, 70 South Poplar Street, Elizabethtown 8:30 AM- 5:30 PM Ph: 717-367-7984
• Lancaster Rec Senior Center, 525 Fairview Avenue, Lancaster 8:30 AM-3:00 PM Ph: 717-399-7671
• Lititz Senior Center, Lititz United Methodist Church, 201 East Market Street, Lititz, (Monday- Wednesday -Thursday) 8:30 AM-2:00 PM Ph: 717-626-2800
• SACA Senior Center, 545 Pershing Avenue, Lancaster 8:00 AM-4:30 PM Ph: 717-295-7989
• Next Gen Senior Center, 184 South Lime Street, Quarryville 8:00 AM- 4:30PM Ph: 717-786-4770
• Lancaster Neighborhood Senior Center, 33 East Farnum Street, Lancaster 7:30 AM-2:00 PM Ph: 717-299-3943