An outdoor pool at Arcola Lakes Senior Center in Miami was designed with a shade cover for protection from the increased heat. The lifeguards and staff are ever vigilant about watching for signs of dehydration or dizziness, and hot tub visits are limited to 15 minutes. Senior Lifeguard Robert Reddick (72), who has been a lifeguard for 36 years, says he watches people’s facial expressions closely to determine if they might be in distress. He previously worked for the Miami-Dade County Fire Department as a lifeguard on the beaches of Miami. He now teaches water aerobics and water safety to senior citizens.
What has climate change done here?
It's been affected because there is less outdoor activity. That's the bottom line. Everything has moved indoors because we are in an extreme heat atmosphere down here in South Florida. My job is to make families aware of the hazards of exposure to heat so that they can prevent heat related illnesses. That's the key. To know what can happen due to extreme heat, and knowing that they have to take breaks, take time to recover if you're working in heat, to find shady areas, cool locations.
What do you think world leaders have to do now to stop things from getting worse and to help us adapt?
The community is being made aware of by means of educating the government agency and are educating communities on ways and planning of dealing with extreme heat, whether it be also creating within the community awareness of what heat emergencies are and how to deal with them. They even have to go as far as a single family having an emergency action plan for a heat emergency.
Life expectancy 2023
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