Heat

[Engineer shooting]

According the national weather service it hit 98 degrees Sunday. It was also humid, I don't know what the heat index was. I did suggest that one of the elder shooters go home early.

The range always provides coolers with water and Gatorade and coolers with ice for cooling towels. What other safe guards are suggested?

p.s. how do I get some Infernoseed patchs?

[kenjo]

I'm a big fan of those small swimming pools filled with about 3 feet of cool water to jump into from time to time during the weekend, but I suppose that is not practical...



kenjo

[scuzzy]

Here in Texas it can get brutally hot. Some things I've done:

1. Wet my hat - only good for a little while though.
2. Wet handkerchief on neck - like #1 above.
3. Spray bottle and spray myself occasionally. Looks funny but on a hot day you'll have people asking to borrow your bottle. And heat exhaustion is nothing to laugh about.

And finally - and this was amazing - there is a special 'rag' called Frogg Toggs:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Frogg-Toggs-Chilly-Pad-Cooling-Towel/23554912

It's like #2 above but actually worked for about 2 to 3 hours before having to re-wet.. It was amazing. Some people said they don't work. But me and the guys that used them - it was about 105 that day - all agreed it was good stuff.  Not expensive either.

[Nero]

All of those - and the following - depend on evaporating water to keep ya cool.  Don't work so well in 98% humidity.  That said:

You can set up a 'mister' (see for instance, http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-20066-Portable-Outdoor-Cooling/dp/B000P0KSXO) at a place where the shooters can take breaks.  If you've got pressurized water, you're good to go.  If not, I've seen a nice rig that eaglescouter made by cementing a male hose fitting onto a hand-pumped sprayer filled with water and attaching the mister.  Pump it up and you're good to go.  That helped us survive a high 90s shoot in San Jose last year.

[Prof. C.J.]

There are various designs of "cooling vests" out there, some mil-surp, some civilian.  I don't have first-hand experience using any of them, but at least some of the designs have good reps.  They're generally designed to hold cold and/or frozen water up against your body's core, which in my limited medical understanding seems like it would be the most important place to focus your cooling efforts if you're really overheating.  Might be worth having a vest or two handy at super-hot shoots (perhaps stored in a cooler) for emergency situations.

There's a company called Steele that makes what looks like a good one; they also make these for the military.  I've considered buying one, but unless you find a good deal on a surplus one, they can be pricey.

[LawDog]

SHADE.  Find some.  Make some.  Somehow. 

We use lots of pop-up tents to get the shooters - and instructors - under some cover as often as possible.  The debate is always whether to cover the firing line or the instruction area.  I don't know which is better, but do at least one if you can. 

[slim]

Modern Americans are not equipped to deal with intense heat. As such, the SB's primary concern in weather such as that should be safety. Pushing folks through doesn't help their marksmanship anyway.

It's OK to sit in the shade and tell stories all day.

It's quite possible to do a dry fire event in the air conditioned classroom of the clubhouse. It would be fine to break up into groups in shaded areas and work as shooter/coach on things like NPOA, shifting, carding sights, etc. Doing a really good KD lesson and covering the Six Steps more thoroughly are good things to do in the shade as well. And, if all that marksmanship stuff fails....you could always tell more history!

The more events I do the less we shoot. It's not about the shooting. Think outside the box and give them what they came for whether they know theyre getting it or not.

[Ramblin' Wreck]

In the Tennessee Valley popups are your friend. We usually have enough to cover the line with 2 or 3 adjustments during the day as the shade moves. I've also learned the value of one of those new high-tech bandannas dipped in the ice chest. That will cool you off and wake you up. 

In Pelham a couple of weeks ago I suggested an older shooter (even older than I am) sit out a while because he got wobbly in afternoon. It was mid 90's and if it had been any more humid it would have been raining. I may have to figure out how to cobble together one of those misting stations.

Y'all be cool. 

Wreck

[Maximum Ordinate]

And here I thought this thread was about a Pacino movie.   

[henschman]

Bring pop-ups, encourage frequent drinking, take 10 min. breaks periodically to let everyone drink and sit in the shade a while (good time to throw in some history), bring a cooler or ice chest full of water and/or Gatorade and encourage everyone to drink from it, know the signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration and watch for them.  Also you have to be particularly aware of the time monkey, and make frequent use of "quickly, quickly" -- everyone starts dragging ass when it's hot, instructors and shoot bosses too. 

[Pitmaster]

Besides the above, I have an issue with sweat running down into my eyes. This can definitely interfere with marksmanship and seeing. I ran across the Sweat Gutr which works great to divert sweat away from your eyes. I bought one and was so impressed that I bought several more to keep in various range bags, car, and at home.

They are available at Amazon.com. Don't forget to make your Amazon purchases through the Amazon Smile program. By enrolling in the program, you can chose from a variety of charities which will receive a portion of the price. I chose the RWVA.

There was a thread somewhere about the Smile Amazon program here. I'm curious as to how much revenue it may be generating and encourage others to sign up to support our mission with their purchasess

[9mm4545]

Inferno-seed patches? Talk to Smoakingun.

[Morpheus]

Over fill your lines and then run the shooters in relays. Relay 1 is on the line while Relay 2 is prepping mags, hydrating, potty break . . .etc. Then switch them around. We've done that the last few events at Toccoa and had nearly 100% engaging the Redcoat Saturday after 5:00pm.

[MostlyHarmless]

I'm a big fan of those small swimming pools filled with about 3 feet of cool water to jump into from time to time during the weekend, but I suppose that is not practical...

Great idea!

But it turns out that we have a new orange hat in our state, with a history of shooting these pools.... 

Over fill your lines and then run the shooters in relays. Relay 1 is on the line while Relay 2 is prepping mags, hydrating, potty break . . .etc. Then switch them around.

Something to consider.

But keep in mind, you are then running your instructor staff much harder than usual. They are not getting their usual moments of down time (when students are preparing mags, etc). And you are relying on them to maintain safety on the line.

I have worked good relay shoots, and I have worked not so good relay shoots. They are always more demanding on instructors that non-relay shoots. (On one occasion, I was really not safe to drive home after working a day of relays due to exhaustion.) Haven't yet done a truly hot relay shoot. I can't imagine I would be up for two days of it.

[bill o rites]

I personally use a cool vest. From Glacier tek. Right here in melbourne fl.  Works great