The B Team recently completed an all day photo shoot in the Austin area for our client, Justin Bent Rail. We were at an amazing venue, The Nutty Brown Cafe, near Dripping Springs, which featured an outdoor performance stage. It also had full exposure to the sun.

As the Production Director for the shoot, one of my responsibilities was the care and well-being of our crew, talent and clients. I was a card-carrying member of Boy Scouts of America, as well as a mom, so I have some experience with this. We had a great makeup artist, Glenda Facemire, who worked on a ‘survivor-style’ television show and had some great tricks that she shared, as well.

Heat exhaustion is a serious illness, which can cause dizziness, nausea and headaches. Your pulse may weaken and breathing becomes fast and shallow. It can quickly escalate to heat stroke, a far-more serious condition, if left untreated. We had too many shots to catch in one day, so we didn't have time for any team members to get sick. Here is how we kept our crew cool.

• Hydrate! Drink water throughout the day. And we don’t mean soft drinks, coffee or alcohol. Caffeinated drinks can act as a diuretic and pull the water from your body. Even if you aren’t feeling ‘thirsty’, make yourself drink every 15 or 20 minutes.
• Replace salts and nutrients. Vitamin water and sports drinks will help replace electrolytes and salts that your body is sweating out.
• Take breaks from the sun often. Find some shade, maybe go inside for a bit...and keep drinking water! We wet down washrags in a bucket of ice water mixed with Sea Breeze astringent and kept rotating them onto the back of the crew’s necks.
• Sun Protection. Sunscreen is a MUST. So are hats. I even carry a long-sleeved shirt with an SPF of 50 built into the fabric. Long sleeves on a hot day? Much better than a bad sunburn later that night. Mountain Hardware® and Columbia® make technical clothing for backpackers and hikers that are comfortable and provide protection.

What if someone gets heat exhaustion anyway?



• Expose as much of his skin as possible to the cooler environment
• Every ten minutes give him a cup of water into which ¼ teaspoon of salt has been dissolved
• Should the victim become unconscious, seek medical help immediately

Make no mistake, heat exhaustion is serious and can lead to an even worse condition known as heat stroke. When active in hot weather, keep an eye on yourself and your crew so you can react quickly.

At Balcom Agency, we are always prepared to react quickly – but we’d prefer that it not be for medical emergencies!

References: http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/how-to-survive-heat-exhaustion/ http://familydoctor.org/