LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The summer heat in Arkansas can be dangerous, and first responders are staying busy because of it.
"We always had a plan for it," MEMS Capt. Pete Pitre said. "We know it's coming."
Pitre said he's not surprised by the influx of heat-related illness calls.
"From May 1 to today, when I pulled numbers this morning, we've had 80 calls for either heat exhaustion or heat stroke," Pitre said.
41 of those calls happened in the last 15 days.
"[It's] about a 200% increase in call volume for heat-related illnesses," Pitre said. "We're running about three a day right now."
According to Pitre, humidity plays a factor.
"People can't cool as well because of the water in the atmosphere," Pitre said.
"It makes it hard for your body to do its natural coating process... it seems like you just stay wet."
Pitre said they've also responded to more calls because of power outages due to the storm on June 25.
"We still have people in our service area like that," Pitre said. "Those people, I would say, go to a movie. If you can go to the library, go to the mall and sit there. Try and get out of the heat."
Meanwhile, at Saline Memorial Hospital, the emergency department hasn't seen many patients with heat-related illnesses.
"In the last five days, we've had two true heat-related illnesses, one male, one female," said Shannon Cleghorn, clinical coordinator for Saline Memorial Hospital's emergency department. "Both were cases of people working outside getting overheated."
Cleghorn said they've seen a handful of those patients in the last two months and expect more as summer continues.
Saline Memorial Hospital treats heat-related illnesses with cold towels and IV fluids.
"You can put cool packs, ice packs, under their arms in the groin sensor, pressure points of circulation," Cleghorn said. "That helps kind of cool the body."
Cleghorn said alcohol can make people more susceptible to heat-related illness, so remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated when celebrating the Fourth of July.