Outdoor events, like carnivals, concerts, festivals and sporting events, are great fun for the vendors, amateur and professional athletes and attendees. However, when it’s hot and humid outside, everyone needs to be careful in order to avoid certain heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water can help reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses, but vendors, coaches, team captains and event organizers should also consider installing fans and misting machines to help protect the health of the participants and/or spectators.

Dangers of Outdoor Heat and Humidity

Being exposed to excessive heat and humidity for an extended period of time can result in symptoms of heatstroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash and heat cramps, especially if you are participating in a sporting event as a professional or amateur athlete or doing a lot of walking in the sun.

Heatstroke is considered a medical emergency. Symptoms include lack of sweating, mental confusion and passing-out of losing consciousness. It can also result in seizures. Heat exhaustion occurs from excessive sweating during hot, humid weather and causes excessive thirst, headaches, upset stomach and feeling weak.

Heat cramps are a type of muscle cramp that is caused by loss of fluid and salt due to excessive sweating, which can occur to anyone but is most common in individuals participating in a physical activity, like track and field, football and baseball. Heat rash occurs when the sweat on the skin fails to evaporate in a timely manner, which can lead to red bumps and blisters on the skin.

Thankfully, heat-related illnesses can be prevented by drinking lots of water and being able to find a cool, shaded, well-ventilated area. Since outdoor venues and sports fields may not contain a lot of shade or may contain limited air circulation, it is important to provide ample mechanical ventilation.

Types of Outdoor Cooling Fans

Outdoor rated cooling fans (UL507 motor rating is required, and plug must have GFCI) are a great way to provide comfortable areas outside during summer events, including high school, college and professional sporting events, marathons and triathlons and concerts and festivals. We offer misting fans, high velocity fans, air circulation fans, evaporative coolers, outdoor ceiling fans and shutter exhaust fans.

Air Circulation Fans

Large outdoor rated air circulation fans can help you circulate air anywhere you have a sturdy permanent or temporary pole with an electrical socket, like large outdoor tents, picnic structures and vending booths. Our air circulator fans offer variable speeds and have the ability to move between 2,501 and 15,000 cubic feet of air per minute so that you can keep the participants of your event cool and safe from heat-related illnesses.

Evaporative Coolers or Swamp Coolers

When it’s extremely hot and humid outside, you may want to consider placing swamp coolers, otherwise known as evaporative coolers in strategic locations, like sitting areas, shelters, inside team locker rooms, in dugouts and around sports team benches, to help keep athletes and attendees from overheating. Evaporative coolers reduce the air temperature by moving the air over a tank of fresh water. Our evaporative coolers can be manually filled or connected to an outdoor water hose for continuous fill. We offer evaporative coolers with CFMs between 501 and 25,000, which are perfect for decreasing the temperatures in large or small outdoor spaces.

High Velocity Fans or Air Cannons

Standing in front of high velocity fans can help individuals feel cooler even in extremely hot conditions, like at an outdoor track and field event and during high school, college and professional sporting events, and they are perfect for providing cooling air to fans and athletes. These type fans can move large volumes of air over long distances (as far away as 100 feet). Our high velocity fans can be mounted on any sturdy temporary or permanent pole that contains an electrical socket, like vendor booths, tents, picnic shelters and on poles and posts surrounding bleachers, dugouts and team bench areas. Our high velocity fans can be purchased with CFMs ranging from 5,001 to 55,000.

Misting Fans

Misting fans are great for cooling the air in outdoor spaces. These fans can be placed around outdoor tents, seating areas and shelters as well as inside dugouts and alongside team benches during football and basketball games to help keep amateur and professional athletes from overheating. These fans are completely portable, utilizing a reservoir tank to hold water. They work by adding cool water in mist form to the air that is projected by the fan, which can make the surrounding air feel as much as 30 degrees cooler.  Many of our misting fans come with large wheels for easy movement, and they have the ability to move between 501 and 55,000 cubic feet of air per minute.

Outdoor Ceiling Fans

Our outdoor rated ceiling fans can be installed in temporary or permanent vendor booths, tents and picnic shelters in order to keep the air moving and help your event attendees feel more comfortable while reducing the risk of heat-related illnesses. Our outdoor rated ceiling fans have CFMs between 15,001 and 55,000.

Shutter Exhaust Fans

If your outdoor event area contains permanent outbuildings and semi-open air shops, you may benefit from installing one or more UL507 rated shutter exhaust fans. The air inside semi-open air shops can be significantly hotter than the outside air. Installing one or more shutter exhaust fans can help vent hot, humid air to the outdoors in order to make the indoor conditions more comfortable. Our indoor / outdoor rated shutter exhaust fans have CFMs between 501 and 55,000.

For more information on our outdoor rated industrial fans, misting machines and evaporative coolers and to place a bulk order for your next outdoor event, call us at 866-727-1060.