Zanesville Fire Department Shares Heat Safety Tips to Beat the Heat

DOWNTOWN ZANESVILLE, Ohio- With heat indices topping around 105° this afternoon, there was no doubt today was a hot one. With today being the hottest day of the year, the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is real.

Some of our most susceptible members of the community to heat exhaustion are our heroes in the red trucks. Firefighters have to battle with fires burning at more than 1,000° in heavy fire retardant gear and in this heat, stepping away from the fire to cool down isn’t helpful. That’s why the Zanesville Fire Department is stressing the importance of heat safety and shared with us how they try to keep cool.

“So the first thing that we do is make sure we have our guys make sure they properly hydrate. Make sure we’re drinking plenty of water, so that we’re less likely to get heat exhaustion or those things. Then some of the activities that we do have control of, whether it be daily training or anything that we would have outside that we would have control over, we try to limit those activities,” Jeff Bell, chief of the Zanesville Fire Department stated.

Some of these practices can easily be implemented by everyone to alleviate the strain the heat can have on your body and stave off heat exhaustion and heat stroke. 

“If you are normally somebody that runs everyday, maybe try not to run during the heat of the day. Or if you’re gardening, try to wait until the temperatures come down lower. If you start not feeling good, go find a shady spot, go find an air conditioned building or something like that to try and cool down. Listen to your body, watch out for your neighbors and everything else, and just be aware of how quickly the heat can affect you,” Chief Bell said.

While not as extreme, another hot day is in store for us tomorrow. Fortunately a cold front will be moving through tomorrow, and with it, much more comfortable weather and less humid air will follow -just in time for the weekend.