Firefighters face additional dangers in extreme heat
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Firefighters have to take extra precautions when working in extreme heat Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- It was one of the hottest days Las Vegas has seen in while but the people having to deal with the most heat may very well be Clark County firefighters.
Firefighters say that so far that the summer 2012 has seen the highest fire danger in years and that means a large increase in the amount emergency calls they respond to.
“Everything is so dry right now and the hotter it gets the drier it gets and we're having those issues all over the county right now,” said Clark County Battalion Chief Roy Session.
It's not an easy task for a firefighter to leave the station in this extreme heat. It requires about 75 pounds of gear, including a hood, jacket, helmet and gloves and a full oxygen tank.
Because we're located in the middle of a desert, there are preparations Clark County firefighters have to make that other departments wouldn’t have to consider. One of those is making sure crews don't stay inside a burning building for too long.
“Supplies, lots of water, lots of fluids.” said Session. “And, if it's too hot, we send a rehab unit with ice cold towels and put sheds up and tents up for them. So, we do respond with more units when it gets hot like this.”
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