New York Issues New Heat Index Procedures For High School Sports

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- High school football practices began this week on the heels of a heat wave as potentially deadly illnesses are a concern when kids are exposed to extreme heat.

CBS2's Steve Overmyer reported New York has issues new heat index procedures. If the heat index is above 96 degrees, you can have no outside activity, and if it's below 91, there are no restrictions.

New Rochelle High School's football team was able to practice in full pads with no restrictions on Wednesday.

"You don't want anybody getting heat exhaustion," said head coach Lou DiRienzo. "I think it's great. It's something concrete in black and white and relatively easy to follow."

When the heat index is above 91, kids need to be monitored for heat illness. For every hour of activity, it's recommended the child gets one hour of recovery, and it's not enough to just hydrate during the day.

"The night before and two days before and so on," DiRienzo said about keeping hydrated. "They have all kinds of things. Pedialyte, the thing they give to kids, that's probably the best thing to drink to replenish."

"Coach says to drink a gallon a day," linebacker Jonathan Hudson said. "When we go home, we're supposed to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated."

New Jersey has similar guidelines as New York, and this applies for all sports across the board.

Heat exhaustion is an issue when the body temperatures is 104 degrees for more than 30 minutes.