THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WALB) – This summer, South Georgia experienced a severe heat wave that made fighting fires extremely difficult.
With heat index values exceeding 100 degrees in the summer, the Thomas County Fire Department wants to make sure its firefighters are prepared for the heat while staying as healthy as possible.
The Thomas County Fire Department takes hydration very seriously. Water is kept on every fire truck and ambulance to prevent dehydration during operations.
“Every morning at the briefing, we remind them to drink plenty of fluids. But hydration doesn’t start on the workday; it starts at home before they come to work to make sure they’re getting enough fluids,” said James Mann, shift supervisor at Thomas County Emergency Services.
Despite the high temperatures, firefighters continue to wear their protective gear during fire calls and car accidents. Because the equipment is quite heavy and quite hot, firefighters work in cycles so that no one wears the equipment for too long or fights a fire for too long.
“The cycles last no longer than 30 minutes. And how long the break lasts depends on vital signs. We monitor vital signs during every firefighting operation to make sure no one gets sick or has a medical emergency,” Mann said.
Mann said most of the crew members are also trained paramedics or emergency medical technicians, so they are familiar with the signs of heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration.
“We’ve had people on call before who had heat-related incidents, but nothing serious. It was always dehydration and then we cool them down. Or maybe IV fluids and they were evaluated by the local emergency room doctor, but nothing that was detrimental to their health,” he said.
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean fires and other emergencies stop, which is why southern Georgia counties like Thomas County are doing their part to keep residents and their firefighters safe.
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