Threat of heat exhaustion is very real for those working outdoors

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The heat index today for Columbus was 114 degrees, and it doesn’t look like temperatures are going to drop for the rest of the week.

And for people make who their living working outside the threat of heat exhaustion can be harmful.

Whether you’re saving people from a burning building or making our lives a little easier with freshly paved roads, this scorching heat is taking a toll on everyone.

Columbus firefighter Jamie Adams said a breeze alone doesn’t offer relief when carrying 75 pounds of equipment while training.

“The heat doesn’t really have anywhere to go, it doesn’t really escape so it can get really hot,” said Adams.

Columbus Fire and Rescue firefighters can’t even get relief in their trucks.

“Three of six of our trucks don’t have air conditioning. So yea that’s unfortunate. But yea, it gets really hot and hydration is really all you can do,” said Adams.

As firefighter Tavontae Macon simply puts it.

“Ain’t gone lie like it’s hell, it’s hell. It’s hot,” said Macon.

He said training in the extreme is the best way to get accustomed to the burning sun.

“I’m an athlete. I run track and cross country so what I do is, I put on my uniform two, three times a day and I go workout on a little run to get used to the uniform, get used to the heat. So when it’s time to put it on for a brief short amount of time, it’ll be just a breeze,” said Macon.

Chief Duane Hughes said the best way to beat the heat is to be proactive.

“The time to prepare for the heat is before they come on shift,” said Hughes. “So we always tell all our personnel to always drink plenty of water before they come on shift, that way they’re hydrated.

Lowndes County Road Manager Mike Aldridge said his crew has to adjust their workload based on the temperature outside.

“We’ve got some equipment that’s not air-conditioned, some tractors that do bush hogging, we shut them down at lunchtime,” said Aldridge. “We don’t make them ride [the tractors] after lunch. It’s just too hot on them, hydraulics and all make them extremely hot.”

No matter how hot it gets, Aldridge said the show must go on.

“We all know we work in a hot environment and a cold environment. That’s our job and that’s what we do so it slows us down a little bit cause more breaks need to be taken because of the heat, they’ll have to get under the shade. The work continues. We just have to do it at a little different pace,” said Aldridge.

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter