HOUSTON – The Houston Fire Department is responding to more heat-related illness calls in June compared to previous months.
“It is a significant increase in calls. It’s shocking the amount of calls that we’ve jumped up to,” said fire department spokesperson Firefighter Abby Cortez.
Between June 1 and 23, firefighters received 416 calls for service due to the heat. Compare it with 99 calls in May and 38 in April.
The trend isn’t new but the sharp increase is, Cortez said.
“We do always see a rise in heat-related calls with the rise in temperatures,” said Cortez. “It just happens to be this summer came with a back and the temperatures are way up there and so are our calls.”
According to data shared with KPRC 2, last July the fire department received 455 high-temperature calls, the highest for the agency in five years.
“We don’t like to see it too much because want to make sure all the residents are safe. We don’t like seeing these incidents,” Cortez said. “We just have to react and take care of the city.”
Dr. Sara Andrabi with Baylor College of Medicine at Ben Taub Hospital said paramedics are likely responding to heat exhaustion or heat stroke victims.
“Heat exhaustion is one of those things that happens early on when your body temperatures are rising. You could have excessive sweating. Your heart rate may be fast. You might have muscle cramps. You might have nausea, vomiting,” said Dr. Andrabi. “And then heat stroke is when your body temperature gets so high you’re not able to sweat it off. As we say, you need help cooling off. At that point, you might have things like abnormal mental status, like you’re not answering questions correctly.”
Dr. Andrabi said to prevent a trip to the hospital: Don’t drink alcohol while out in the sun, limit sugary drinks, wear light clothing and a hat, and if working outside – take frequent breaks.
“I think the other thing that’s important is something we do in the emergency department as well which is taking clothes wetting them, putting them over your body and then using a fan to mist yourself,” said Dr. Andrabi.