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Heat-Related Illness Calls Increase: Take Caution

Heat-Related Illness Calls Increase: Take Caution
An elderly woman suffering from hot summer weather. | Image by CGN089, Shutterstock

While Fort Worth residents deal with heat-related problems, first responders are telling residents to be careful.

Last week, MedStar Field Operations Supervisor George Church looked over the organization’s active heat-related calls. Among those calls was that of an elderly woman. Upon arriving at the woman’s southside home, Church found her case was dispatched as a possible heat stroke.

Paramedics found that the home did not have adequate cooling to battle the heat. All it had for cooling was a box fan just inside an open front door.

Church warns that homes that aren’t well insulated and ventilated could impact elderly people, who are more prone to heat-related illness. The paramedics assessed the woman, 84, inside an ambulance. After checking her vitals and ensuring she was stable, they took her to a local hospital.

The heat-related calls to Fort Worth MedStar have increased by 110% compared to the number a year ago. “Our ambulances are constantly on the move, whether on the way to a call or on the way to the hospital,” said Church.

Authorities urge people to take the dangers of heat-related illness seriously, especially with this week’s excessive heat warning alert. According to the National Weather Service, most of North Central and Northeast Texas will experience “dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 105 to 110 and heat index values near 110.”

Those working or participating in outdoor activities are warned to be particularly careful and limit outdoor activities. Residents are also urged to get familiar with the signs of heat-related illnesses and stay hydrated.

With MedStar’s warning that elderly people are especially vulnerable to heat-related emergencies came advice to check on loved ones in that age group. “Many elderly residents are not aware of how hot it may get in their residence,” the mobile healthcare provider advises. “Call on older friends and family members regularly to assure they are doing OK.”

According to The Dallas Morning News, the temperature in Fort Worth on Monday reached 109 degrees, topping every other day in the city. The extreme heat condition is expected to end Wednesday night.

In a summary published last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor said that this January-to-June period is Texas’ driest since 1895. National Weather Service meteorologist Madison Gordon said drought conditions have lingered and worsened in North Texas and Central Texas due to the excessive heat.

Aside from the drought, the dry conditions came with more grassfire incidents. From the beginning of June, the Fort Worth Fire Department said it has seen about a 370% increase in grassfires. The department has responded to 607 grass fires since last month.

Authorities are urging residents to be careful so as to prevent grass fires. “It only takes one ember from a grill or a cigarette to start a fire in conditions this dry,” the FW Fire Department said.

Residents are asked to reduce or remove brush outside their homes and businesses. The habit of parking vehicles on grass or shrubs is also dangerous in these times, they warn.

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