SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is taking proactive measures to keep people safe during a week where temperatures feel like triple digits.
The Seminole County Fire Department said the heat is a concern not only for the people who call Central Florida home, but also for those who visit on vacation. It’s that combination that typically leads to an increase in heat-related calls.
Paramedics and EMTs at a fire station in Casselberry showed our News 6 crew the supplies they have ready for calls they receive, it includes ice packs and IV fluids for patients they need to cool down.
“Often we see, especially with patients, extra sweating, dizziness, tiredness,” said firefighter EMT Erin Wolfe.
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Erin Wolfe has worked with SCFD for three and a half years. She says they’re used to taking emergency calls in the heat, it’s why they prepare their own crews for warm weather weeks, also.
Lt. Andy Thompson, a paramedic with SCFD, says they plan ahead for calls to structure fires too.
“We dispatch our rehab unit sooner than we typically do,” Thompson said.
Their crews work shorter durations, and they call in more manpower when needed so they can make sure first responders don’t get exhausted in the heat.
Doctors at AdventHealth said heat-related illness is not unusual in late June. Within the last two weeks, their Centra Care facilities in Central Florida have seen a 50% increase in the number of patients.
“Outdoor workers are probably our number one patient that’s coming in,” said Dr. Timothy Hendrix, medical director for AdventHealth Centra Care. “They start getting those symptoms of nausea, light headedness, weakness, excessive sweating, excessive thirst.”
When asked how fast it can happen to someone, Dr. Hendrix says it depends on their acclimation.
“You’ll find that the weekend warrior like myself starts going out and mowing the yard this weekend, within 20 minutes I’m starting to feel the heat. Someone who works in it every day is acclimated, they may not start to feel the effects for a lot longer than that,” Dr. Hendrix said.
Dr. Hendrix says the advice he tells people is to stay hydrated, but don’t think that alone will keep you out of trouble.
“You have to be careful about the amount of work and the amount of exposure you’re having in the heat. It’s about pacing yourself, trying to find places in the shade to cool off.”
The most common heat-related illness he sees patients for is heat exhaustion. He says it’s important for people to pay attention to what they’re feeling so they don’t get sick enough that they need emergency care.
“If you’re starting to feel those symptoms of heat exhaustion, nausea, light-headedness, shakiness, that’s a time your body is telling you, you need to get the body temperature down. Go inside where it’s air conditioned if you can.”
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