REMEMBER: Even tho we in medieval re-enactment groups fight in all kinds of weather we still should be alert to heat exhaustion and heat stroke on the field.

• DRINK WATER!!!! Gator-Aide and the like are OK, but dilute them with water.
• Don't drink alcoholic beverages. They replace and use the water in your body.
• Your shield will shade you from the sun. Use it as a shade when you are not fighting. Keep your armor shaded too, even if you're not wearing it. Putting on hot armor is not fun. Especially keep your helm shaded! If you can't shade your helm, put it under your body or your buddy's body! Consider using mantling over your helm ... it served a purpose, y'know!
• The symptoms of heat disorders include flushed and dry skin, lethargy, no sweating, and acting stupid. WATCH YOUR BUDDIES.
• Keep your cool. This is a GAME. We do it for FUN. If it stops being fun, get off the field and calm down.
• There is no Rule Six.
• Your armor is your friend. Make sure it is in tip-top condition before you leave home.
• Remember that at major events you are engaging fighters from several different localities. Their local Conventions of Combat may be different from yours. When in doubt, take the blow. It's the chivalrous thing to do.
  
  
  

  And remember, all you Party Animals: if you pass out on the field in the middle of the night, you are in danger of hypothermia. It can get doggone cold at night, and the Sheriffs and Chirurgeons will be notably unsympathetic.
  
  Have fun! Love you all,
  
  CONNIE

1. Heat Cramps
2. Heat Exhaustion
3. Heat Stroke

The symptoms, becoming progressively more serious, range from abdominal cramps and muscle spasms (Heat Cramps) to nausea, dizziness, headache, weakness, goose bumps, and cold, clammy skin (Heat Exhaustion) to mental confusion or loss of consciousness with hot dry skin and no sweating (Heat Stroke). The categories may overlap. Heat Stroke can be fatal.

• Get out of the sun, and out of the heat if possible.
• Cool the person with water, not ice (which may cause shock).
• Get medical advice ASAP.

1. Drink plenty of fluids. This means water, fruit juice, Gatorade, decaffeinated soda, etc. Try to avoid alcohol and caffeine, which tend to dehydrate the body. Be moderate in your consumption of alcohol, and drink at least an equal amount of non-alcoholic fluids.

2. Use care in food storage and preparation. Food kept in tents can spoil quickly. Keep perishable foods cold. Block ice generally keeps longer than cubes, but if the weather is hot it may be necessary to replace the ice several times a day. Don't wait until all the ice has melted to get more. Cook your food completely, and try to avoid meats cooked rare. Keep all your food covered to avoid flies and other pests. Seal garbage bags and dispose of them regularly. Wash your dishes promptly and completely, and properly dispose of waste water promptly after use.

3. Pay attention to personal hygiene. Wash your hands before cooking and eating, and after using toilet facilities. Cold showers may not be fun, but they are better than nothing.

4. Wear sturdy walking shoes at all times. Even sandals may not be sufficient foot protection. Going barefoot is not period for persons of gentle birth, which we are all assumed to be.

5. Make sure you have any prescription medication you may need with you. Carry allergy or other emergency medication with you at all times. This includes asthma inhalers, anaphylaxis self injectors, nitroglycerin tablets or other medication for potentially life threatening situations. An insect bite kit back in camp won't save your life.

6. Use sunscreen of at least SPF 15 or above even on cloudy or wet days. Be careful to reapply as directed or when you change your clothes. Wear a hat, veil or some other head covering. Sun injuries are at best annoying and at worst life-threatening, so take care.

7. Know where your children are at all times, and make sure they know where you are. Except in an immediately life-threatening emergency, no chirurgeon may provide first aid to a minor without the parent being present, so please don't make us look all over the site for you.

8. The Chirurgeon's Points are not doctor's offices, they are first aid stations. For anything more serious we will refer you off-site.

9. Keep a first aid kit in your camp and make sure everyone knows where it is. Seconds count, and chirurgeons cannot be everywhere at once.

If you are a warranted chirurgeon, apprentice, first aider, medical professional or have no first aid certification whatsoever and just want to help out, please sign up with us. We desperately need volunteers in all capacities, and anyone who wants to help will be very welcome. Waterbearers are especially needed, and if you wish to participate, please sign up and join us!