Cooling Plan For Today's Community Day Event - Please read!

Dear Community Day 2011 Participant,

We are very excited about today's event, but that excitement is of course tempered by our concern regarding the heat. While we certainly do not want to put anyone at risk, we do recognize that events of this nature happen in temperatures much higher than tomorrow's forecast, and our strong desire to get vital information out to an underserved community is of tantamount importance. We have developed a comprehensive cooling plan (enumerated below) that we think will help mitigate the impact of the heat and allow us to press forward. We are counting on you to press forward with us, and join us tomorrow as we serve the Ward 8 community. If you have any questions, or need to reach us tomorrow morning, please feel free to contact your coordinator on the FCAC team, or me directly at 703-447-9836.

Best Regards and THANK YOU!

Vania M. Smith

Co-Chair, Community Outreach

The Federal City Alumane Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

1. FULLY TENTED EVENT- once you get your wristband, all other areas are tented, so you will be shielded from the sun the entire time.
2. Mandatory Breaks- will be required for all children using the moon bounce. The moon bounce will CLOSE every 20 mins, for a 5 minute break.
3. Volunteer/Exhibitor Break Room- we will increase the amount of water and fresh fruit in the break room to accomodate the need for ongoing hydration. In addition, we will have gatorade in the breakroom to assist in replenishing electrolytes.
4. Portable Water Coolers- we will have small coolers available for bottled water for volunteers and those exhibiting at the event so no one will have to walk back and forth to the building to get cold water.
5. Air Cooling Stations- we will provide two "cooled tents" outdoors with evaporative air cooling outdoor fans where visitors and volunteers can go, stand and cool off at any time.
6. Cooling Area for Performers- all performers will be encouraged to stay in the Community Room prior to their performance and proceed back to the room immediately after to prevent exhaustion/over exertion
7. Medical Personnel- we currently have a team of medical professionals who will be onsite throughout the event to respond quickly to any situation that may arise.
8. Personal Reminders- everyone is reminded to take the necessary personal precuations- wear light and loose colored clothing; eat breakfast and drink water before heading to the event in order to further protect yourself against heat related illness; familiarize yourself with the following warning signs of heat related illness-
   • Nausea
   • Headache
   • Weakness
   • Fainting
   • Poor concentration
   • Flushed skin
   • Light headedness
   • Fatigue
   • Vomiting
9. Event End Time- we will end the event promptly at 1:50pm, so that breakdown of equipment can begin at 2:00pm sharp. In the event of extreme weather, if the decision is made to end the event early, we will end at 12:50 and breakdown of equipment will be at 1:00pm sharp. This decision will be made no later than 11:30am to allow enough time for notification of the equipment vendor.