Tips for safely beating the heat

(WPRI) -- Temperatures reached the 90s yesterday, and are expected to do so again today.

Heat advisory and air quality alerts have been issued across Rhode Island, so Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo decided to head to a Scituate summer camp to find out what counselors there are doing to keep children safe and cool.

The summer heat can take its toll on anyone, but young children are especially vulnerable since their smaller bodies lose fluids more quickly and they're often much more active.

The counselors at Scituate Summer Camp know the first priority is to keep kids safe, so they're sure to keep them hydrated and limit their activities in the heat.

"If we can tell that it's a really hot day, we keep it on the down low," said counselor Jimmy Scacco. "Maybe that really fun game of soccer will only last ten minutes."

For more important tips to keep your family safe during the dog days of summer, Dr. Lynn Sweeney joined The Rhode Show set.

There are two types of illness that doctors worry about when it comes to heat: heat exhaustion and heat stroke.h can be fatal.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Nausea
• Listlessness
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Belly cramps
• Muscle cramps

If these symptoms aren't given any attention, they can lead to worse symptoms and eventually heat stroke, which can be fatal.

Everyone, from the very young to the very old, needs to be careful in extreme heat. Dr. Sweeney also warns that apart from staying hydrated, certain foods and drinks should be avoided, such as alcoholic and caffeinated beverages.