People whose circulation is not very stable anyway are particularly at risk of heat – such as the chronically ill, overweight and the elderly. Babies and toddlers are also not yet able to sweat sufficiently and should therefore be given special protection.
The Ministry of Health therefore appealed in a broadcast to take the impending heat wave seriously, to stay in cool rooms, to avoid physical exertion and to drink enough: “Pay special attention to small children, the elderly and chronically ill people – both in the family, among friends and in the neighborhood. Offer support as far as you can,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens).
Keep time outdoors short
According to the AGES experts, it is particularly important to only spend a short amount of time outdoors on hot days and to drink enough. At least 1.5 to three liters a day are recommended, such as tap and mineral water, diluted fruit and vegetable juices and unsweetened fruit and herbal teas.
Talk on the phone
The Ministry of Health’s heat line is available 24/7 on 050 555 555 for questions. In acute cases, the health hotline 1450 advises, in emergencies the rescue service is to be informed.
It also says: “In hot periods, no large meals should be taken. Several small meals distributed throughout the day are more digestible. Preference should be given to easily digestible and low-fat foods with a high water content.” These include fruit and vegetables, compotes, salads and soups.
A tolerable room temperature can be created by evening airing, darkening, hanging up damp cloths and fans. Light and air-permeable clothing can also help. In general, it is important to avoid unnecessary exertion and direct sunlight on the body.
Right to heat-free only on construction
In view of the high temperatures, only construction workers have the right to be free from the heat. From 32.5 degrees in the shade, employers must arrange heat-free.
Although such a regulation does not exist in other sectors, companies still have the obligation to “exploit all measures that are suitable for lowering the temperature”, according to the Chamber of Labor. This includes, for example, nightly airing, shading of the windows, provision of fans and non-alcoholic drinks. The law does not provide for the mandatory installation of air conditioning systems.
Urban areas more affected
A common definition of a heat wave is when temperatures rise above 30 degrees for at least three consecutive days. The measures taken according to the heat protection plan that has been in place since 2017 vary from state to state.
This has to do with the geographic and climatic characteristics of the different areas. “During heat waves, urban areas are usually much more affected than rural regions, mainly because the temperatures at night in the cities drop less than in the countryside,” the APA from the Ministry of Health said.
Persistently high temperatures are also reflected in the number of rescue operations. “Heat puts a heavy strain on the human organism. When heat waves last for several days and bring tropical nights, the body is particularly stressed. Babies, small children and the elderly are particularly affected by the heat,” said the spokeswoman for the Viennese professional rescue service, Corina Had.
The heat deployment record at the Viennese professional rescue service was only recently set, in June 2021. At that time, the teams had to be deployed 1,191 times within 24 hours, often due to heat-related emergencies. Normally there are an average of 800 to 900 missions in the same period, it was said at the time. This year there have always been outliers from days with more than 1,000 missions, but not always due to the heat and fluctuating.
The risk of accidents also increases
There are similar observations across the federal states at the Red Cross – especially in the state capitals, as the press office said. One is not specifically called to “heat operations”, since people usually dial the emergency call due to internal problems and complain, for example, about dizziness, blood pressure or circulatory problems – but these are partly due to the high temperatures, it said.
“When the weather is nice, people also do more outdoors, and therefore both leisure-time accidents such as sports accidents or swimming accidents and accidents with two-wheelers increase at this time of the year,” according to the Red Cross.
Extremwetter
Although individual extreme events cannot be directly traced back to a specific cause, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change it is clear that extreme weather events such as floods, storms and heat are becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of the climate crisis. This means: Precipitation and storms are getting heavier, heat waves are getting hotter and droughts are getting drier.
Heat in the car life-threatening
The ARBÖ warned in a broadcast on Tuesday against leaving children and dogs in the car, even if it is only for a short time. Tragic events happen every year. “It doesn’t matter whether the car is in the shade, the side window is open a little or the sky is overcast, since the air does not circulate sufficiently, the sun can move and the clouds disappear, so that the car quickly finds itself in the blazing sun.” , is it[called
According to ARBÖ legal expert Martin Echsel, passers-by are obliged to remedy the situation and to intervene. He advises trying to find the driver, for example by calling the supermarket. If this is not successful, the fire brigade or police must be notified. In the event of immediate danger to trapped children or animals, breaking open the vehicle is also legally covered. It is important to document the situation with photos and videos. Parents or pet owners, on the other hand, face fines and even imprisonment.