High schools must now use a special thermometer before canceling games

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — New rules regarding heat and outdoor play now apply to school sports across the state.

“Nobody ever wants to miss a game. Nobody ever wants to postpone a practice, but the most important thing we have to keep in mind is the health and safety of the coaches and fans of these students,” said Ryan Tos, commissioner of the CIF Central Section.

The new CIF guidelines recommend that schools move outdoor workouts to cooler times, such as early morning or late evening. They also require schools to postpone or cancel workouts if it gets too hot outside. Previously, each school or district had its own rules, but now there is a uniform standard for all.

“Sometimes a school would play in a different district and have different policies. But now the policies are the same,” Tos says.

Schools are now required to use a special thermometer called a wet bulb globe thermometer. It measures temperature, wind speed, humidity, position of the sun and even cloud cover.

“It’s much more accurate,” says Marr.

About 30 minutes before a game or practice, coaches take a measurement and plot the data points on a graph that tells them what adjustments to make.

If conditions put them in the red zone, players must take water breaks and outdoor play is limited to one hour. In the black zone, outdoor play is not allowed at all. The charts are unique to the climate of each region of the state.

“Some would say it’s not fair that the coast is held to the same standard as here in the valley. They’re not used to this weather, so each school is divided into three different geographical categories based on geography.”

Heat protocols are not uncommon in the valley.

“When temperatures get above 100 degrees, you start to feel it, especially out here on the football field where they’re wearing their helmets. They’re wearing padding and the extra weight of the equipment puts extra stress on the body,” said Brett Marr, athletic manager for the Fresno Unified School District.

Marr says Fresno Unified has had heat protection protocols in place for about 15 years and has been using these devices for several years. He’s happy to see districts across the state join in.

“This will help the smaller rural communities and smaller districts that had not previously taken action,” says Marr.

Fresno Unified is also exploring the possibility of installing these devices permanently in several of its stadiums and sports fields to make the data more accessible and quicker to use.

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