Second Lt. Jonathan Hudson performs one of the hourly checks on the wet bulb to determine the current heat level on Fort Knox. Photo by Sammy Jo Hester/LTC PAO

 

By Noelle Wiehe
Staff writer

The summer heat can wear down anyone, making them exhausted and dehydrated. For Leader’s Training Course Cadets, the heat is one of the most dangerous issues they face.

“I just can’t express how serious we take training and prevention of heat casualties,” said Lt. Col. Colette McKinney, LTC’s chief nurse.

Though the area has experienced a reprieve from the heat this week, with highs topping out only in the low- to mid-80s, Fort Knox’s hottest temperatures will occur in the coming weeks, according to reports.

Because Cadets are constantly in fatigues — with their arms and legs fully covered, wearing heavy boots, long socks and usually an undershirt — cadre and medics at the course are readying themselves for potential casualties in the upcoming weeks.

While there are experienced medical practitioners on each training site, ensuring Cadets’ well-being in potentially oppressive conditions is still not the easiest of jobs.

“I’m dreading it,” McKinney said.

McKinney was living in Alaska before she came to Fort Knox in September. This being her first summer away from the dry Alaskan weather, she herself has had some trouble adjusting to the heat.

In her home state, daily average summer temperatures usually range from 55 to 65 degrees. In Kentucky, the summer averages go from the upper-70s to mid-80s, with highs regularly topping out in the upper-90s.
Add in high humidity, and acclimating to Kentucky weather can become even tougher for non-natives.

“The way our body cools down is we conduct heat, we radiate heat,” McKinney said. “Our primary method of losing heat is through sweating. It evaporates, and it cools us down. But when there is a humid climate, the air is already full of moisture and that’s why we look at what the humidity is each day. Our bodies have to acclimate to that, and it can take up to two weeks for your body to adapt to that hot, humid environment.”

Course cadre address heat illness prevention to Cadets early on — and at every opportunity possible. At Alpha Company’s in-processing Monday, a registered nurse emphasized hydration to the newly arrived Cadets while drill sergeants of each platoon periodically order Cadets to drink from their canteens.

When temperatures reach 78 degrees or higher, Cadets are urged to consume at least a ½ to ¾ quart of water per hour while performing easy to hard work. That amount increases as conditions become more grueling.

The way the Army determines how much work should be done, how much fluid should be replaced and what time of day to hold training each day is through the wet bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, which is obtained by reading a wet bulb. A wet bulb is used help prevent troops from becoming heat casualties.

The wet bulb is read every hour by a trained Soldier. There are three bulbs which measure different things in the atmosphere: a wet bulb (WG), a dry bulb (DB) and a black bulb (BB). Each bulb is read and all numbers coincide to provide a WBGT reading. The reading is only used when temperatures reach 78 degrees and higher.

“The fun part is while you’re using it, you look like a chemist,” said 2nd Lt. Jonathan Hudson, who works in the LTC tactical operations center and who is trained to read the wet bulb.

When the temperature rises to 90 or higher, it is considered heat category five and cadre will typically start using extreme caution with their troops while working in the heat and doing physical training.

“If it (hits) heat category five, I put out a black flag,” Hudson said. “That let’s everyone who passes by know it’s hot outside.”

When WBGT readings are in the fifth category, Cadets are urged to drink at least one quart per hour while performing any work.

The Fluid Replacement and Work/Rest Guide advises work-to-rest ratios, as well as how many quarts of water per hour should be consumed when the WBGT is high.

“It’s all about safety,” McKinney said. “There are people out there who just to push themselves and keep going, and those are the ones we have to be cautious of.”

One tip McKinney has is to always remember to eat. When it is hot and a person is out in the heat, they most likely do not have much of an appetite.

But, McKinney points out, that to replace the salt and fluid lost from sweating, Cadets need to sit down to eat a healthy meal once in a while and stay hydrated.

Thus far, LTC 2011 hasn’t experienced any heat casualties, officials said.

“In my tenure here, I have not seen a heat stroke,” said Lt. Col. Craig Wells, safety officer for LTC.

Although it was not during LTC, there has been one heat-related injury so far this summer involving the course. Earlier this month, when temperatures spiked into the 90s, a Junior ROTC Cadet at the high ropes course began feeling nauseous and was removed from the obstacle course just before the final section.

She was taken to Fort Knox’s Ireland Army Hospital, where she stayed a few hours for testing. It was determined that she was dehydrated, was released and returned to duty the same day.

To prevent LTC Cadets from suffering similar problems, they are provided a Heat Injury Prevention pocket guide that lists the hazards of dehydration and of being a heat casualty, lays out those who are at the highest risk for heat illness, ways to prevent heat illness, warning signs and the fluid replacement and work/rest guide.

To manage the impact of extreme heat even more, time is built into the Cadets’ training and work schedules for changes to avoid placing them in activities that might directly expose them or might require maximum physical exertion during the peak heating of the day.

The Cadets are not alone in the field, either. If one shows signs of heat illness and becomes too weak to seek help, medics, cadre and even other Cadets are there to assist.

“You have a battle buddy, you have cadre and everyone is just kind of watching out for everybody,” she said.