LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Everyone in Central Arkansas knows that with extreme temperatures, it's probably best to stay inside— but that's not an option for some people.
Some even have to adjust their schedules to beat the heat.
"You always think you can get more done in the heat than you can and it just doesn't happen," Yancy Cundall with Wilcun said.
Cundall and his team at Wilcun, do what they can to stay cool while repairing homes in the heat.
For them that sometimes means starting earlier in the day.
"We start at 6:00 a.m. Normally we meet at one of the local home improvement stores, we buy what we need to buy, and by the time we get done with that and stop and get a drink we're heading to a job. It's usually 7:00 a.m. A lot of times we don't usually start work outside where we'll be loud until 8:00 a.m.," Cundall explained.
Though they're not just thinking about when to work, he said they strategically plan where they're working during the hottest parts of the day.
"We'll go to a house that we're working on inside, maybe do some work there for an hour or so and then head on to where we're doing this," he added.
They also try to get the job done by 2:00 p.m. every day, or sometimes earlier depending on how hot it is.
"If we get done at 12:30 p.m. or 1:00 p.m., instead of trying to start a whole another thing, we're probably gonna shut down," he said.
As far as rules when it comes to working in the heat, he said they really make their own— but safety is key.
"It's pretty much up to the individual if they need to sit down then they'll sit down," Cundall said.
Riley Hays, owner of Riley Hays Roofing & Construction said he and his roofers do the same.
"We just say hey if you're getting hot get off the roof immediately and get in the shade, get some water," Hays added.
Hays also said he always has some ice, water, and electrolyte drinks on hand for his crew, but some days even that isn't enough.
"We canceled two days of work already this summer because it was so dangerous that we said we'll just wait until tomorrow," he explained.
Some days they only work a couple of hours in order to keep workers safe.
"It was the right decision," he said.
