According to a study by the University of Georgia, Georgia led the United States in deaths from extreme heat with 58 deaths between 1980 and 2009.

A lack of organized oversight contributed to these deaths; most of the victims were high school football players.

Bud Cooper helped change that.

He is a clinical professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Following public outrage over two high-profile deaths, the Georgia High School Association approached Cooper, who proposed a three-year study of trends in heat-related illnesses and related interventions related to outdoor activities in high schools.

In the spring of 2012, Cooper presented evidence-based data to the GHSA Executive Committee showing that August is the riskiest month for outdoor exercise.

A series of standards were jointly written and published.

People often hear about the heat index, which is based on the assumption of a person who is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, wears a short-sleeved shirt and long pants and walks 3 miles per hour in the shade, Cooper said.

“The formula on which the heat index is based has no correlation with high-intensity exercise,” he said.

The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) assesses environmental conditions as well as temperature to determine the risk of heat illness.

Example: Go outside on a sunny day in August and place your hand on asphalt or a brick building to feel the absorbed heat.

“The same thing happens to a human being,” Cooper said. “If you’re in a very sunny area, not only do you have the air temperature and the humidity, but you also have the sun beating down on you, and that also raises your body temperature.”

Dr. Elaine Jones, a neurologist who sees emergency patients nationwide via telemedicine, said people – especially those with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis – may not initially realize the physical effects of extreme heat.

“We also know, of course, that people get more irritable in the heat,” she said. “When it’s really hot, people tend to eat less. I mean, these are things we all know. So there’s no question that temperature affects us, and we may not always be aware of it.”

Staying hydrated is the best way to protect players from extreme heat and humidity, she said.

“When you sweat, you lose fluid intake,” she said. “You lose water. You also lose electrolytes. That’s why people often say, ‘Drink Gatorade or something with electrolytes.'”

Heard County High School recently opened a covered 64-yard facility to protect its players from heat and storms, head coach Shane Lasseter said.

He said the WBGT has exploded this summer and that while many players wore only helmets during practice, his team was able to wear full gear because the outside temperature at the facility was 20 degrees cooler.

“We’re honored to have this,” Lasseter said. “I don’t think any high school coach deserves the facilities that we have and are blessed with, and so we try not to take that for granted at all.”

As temperatures rise, athletes and coaches across Georgia must follow certain guidelines because while exertional heat stroke can be devastating, death is 100 percent preventable if detected early, Cooper said.

Death can occur at a core body temperature of 40 °C or more.

• Heat exhaustion Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, coldness, pale and clammy skin, a weak pulse, and possibly fainting and vomiting.
• heatstroke is a serious medical emergency that occurs when the body temperature reaches 106°F (41°C) or higher. Symptoms include hot, dry skin, rapid and strong pulse, and possible loss of consciousness. Call emergency medical services immediately.

The GHSA policy requires that each individual school must have a cold water plunge pool on site ready for use any time the lowest wet bulb temperature is 86 degrees or greater.

“This is the gold standard in treating heat stroke,” Cooper said, noting that ambulances are not equipped to cool a person’s body temperature before arriving at the hospital, and even then, they may not have an emergency cooling plan.

“The basic attitude is: ‘Cool first, transport second,'” Cooper said.

As long as GHSA guidelines were followed, there was not a single heat stroke death in Georgia. That’s important, he said, because a 16-year-old high school basketball player in Atlanta died of heat stroke.

According to a lawsuit, coaches forced Imani Bell to do basketball practices outside on the school’s soccer field in July 2019.

“They denied her water and made her run up the stadium steps,” Cooper said, “and they did that until she collapsed. If they had followed the rules, that young girl would surely still be with us today.”

In 2022, the Clayton County Board of Education settled a civil lawsuit brought by the Bell family for $10 million without admitting any wrongdoing.

“The coaches now know that they – and the school – will be held accountable if they fail to protect their children from heat exhaustion,” attorney L. Chris Stewart said at the time.

At some schools, such as those in Oconee and Madison counties, practices will be held at 6 a.m. in August, Cooper said, and in warmer weather, water breaks will be required during games.

This will not be considered a time-out and therefore coaches will not be allowed to enter the field, Cooper said.

If necessary, the rest breaks can be increased to two per quarter.

The rules are in effect year-round and apply to cross country, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball and marching band.

“At many high schools, the marching band wears a wool uniform,” he said. And that’s probably worse than a football player wearing shoulder pads, helmets and other things.”

This article appears on Now Habersham in collaboration with GPB News