It is a historic weekend for San Diego State University with the opening of Snapdragon Stadium, but fans will be dealing with excessive heat and limited shade.
"We are expecting to see a good volume of heat-related illnesses," said Mark Selapack, Falck San Diego's operations division manager. "This is the first game of the season, there is no roof there."
Selapack said advanced life support crews will be on hand for the game.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning through the holiday weekend and temperatures could be as high as 98 degrees come game time Saturday afternoon. Forecasters said it will also be muggy, which is a recipe for heat exhaustion.
"What I do recommend is staying hydrated," Selapack said. "Prepare for it today and drink water now."
Another tip, people may want to consider limiting the amount of alcohol they drink. Selepack said signs of heat stroke include confusion, altered mental status, or unconsciousness.
"Another important factor is looking out for each other," he said. "You look for signs and symptoms amongst each other, dizziness, light-headed, headache, nausea, hot skin."
In a statement, a San Diego State athletics spokesperson said the university is encouraging fans to take extra precautions.
"Factory-sealed plastic water bottles (unfrozen) and empty refillable water bottles up to 32 ounces are permitted in the stadium, which can be refilled at six water stations throughout the stadium," SDSU athletics spokesperson Jamie McConeghy wrote in an email. "Each station contains a bottle refill and a drinking fountain. Additionally, there will be water misters placed at different areas of the stadium. Guests can bring in spritzer bottles as long as they are empty and comply with the general water bottle policy."
Some football fans are planning to take precautions.
"There’s no shade — people are going to be using newspapers for shade," said season ticket holder Eddie O'Brien.
O'Brien was checking out the stadium and its parking on Friday before hitting the home opener.
"My plan is to wear a large hat and drink a lot," he said.
People should consider wearing hats or loose-fitting clothing. Forecasters also said people need to take shade breaks. But under the stadium stands is one of the only places fans can avoid the sun.
McConeghy did not answer a question about why the stadium does not have built-in shade.
KPBS is a service of San Diego State University
