MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Bri Gitlin is the head athletic trainer for all sports at South Fork High School in Martin County.
"Here we have the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT)," she said.
She is going through the process of measuring the extreme heat.
"This is the temperature we need in the entire equation," she said. "So, this will go up, go down. That's why we let sit for about 15 minutes to get an accurate reading."
The WetBulb Globe Temperature determines whether teams in Martin County Schools practice inside or outside.
The WBGT is a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight which calculates temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover using a meter, according to the National Weather Service.
"Above 92, we're inside. There's no outside practice. [Temperatures between] 89.9 to 91.9, we can practice for an hour with no protective equipment," she said. "So, helmets have to come off. Shoulder pads have to come off. They can't wear bottoms with the pads. Only allowed out there for an hour and we have to have water breaks for every 10 minutes."
Ed Geiger, the assistant principal of athletics, said the Florida High School Athletic Association instituted the Zachary Martin Act, which provides guidelines for heat safety.
This summer has provided its own set of challenges.
"Our head coach is just beside himself," he said. "Last week, between the WetBulb pulling us off, the actual Thor Guard, which detects lightning in the area, we've probably got about two hours of practice total outside."
St. Lucie County also goes by WBGT set up by the FHSAA.
Back on the field, Gitlin is overseeing football at the moment. She said she's a stickler for hydration.
"I have different hydration methods in the form of Gatorlyte, electrolyte packages, Gatorades," she said, "things like that in case of cramping."
