How are Kentucky firefighters staying cool in extreme heat?

LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — During extreme heat, many people limit their outdoor time or find ways to stay cool, like sitting by the pool or blasting the AC.

But firefighters can’t say the same when serving the community. They wear protective gear that covers them from head to toe. Its purpose is to keep them safe from active fires that can get up to 500 or 600 degrees, but as good as it is at keeping out heat, it’s going to keep it in as well.

Each set of gear can weigh between 40 and 50 pounds, and with that comes many challenges.

District Chief David Waters said that fire gear is made with a thermal barrier and is worn to fight fires in any kind of weather.

He noted that the biggest challenges are that the hot temperatures bother their crew members, whereas in the cold, they have issues with equipment freezing up and problems on the truck.

Waters said that nearly every call they face in the heat, a crew member will see signs of heat exhaustion.

“Fire doesn’t change temperature in the summer or the winter. So, our structural firefighting here is the same all year long. It doesn’t matter whether it’s hot or cold, right? So, we don’t have a whole lot of choice. When we’re called, we’re going to respond, and we’re going to take care of our citizens. Whatever it takes,” said Waters.

When out on a call, Waters explained that there are many safety measures designed to help firefighters in the heat.

He said during training, they will typically schedule for early morning or late evening. On call, he adds that the best thing for their crew is to keep them hydrated and cool. When we see temperatures like we are this week, they will bring extra crews out to the scene and rotate them to prevent people from overheating.

“Our firefighters are our most important resource. We can have all the equipment in the world, but if we don’t have people to do the job and do it well, it’s not good for the city, right? So, we try to keep them in good condition, try to keep them cooled down, and keep them rotated so that they’re safe and able to do their job effectively,” said Waters.

Lexington city officials are also taking note of the high heat. The city’s extreme heat plan will stay in effect through this Thursday.

At this stage of activation, the resources include

• Partner organizations of the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention will operate as cooling stations.
• Lextran will offer free rides to people experiencing homelessness to cooling stations.
• Outreach teams will be in the community, distributing supplies and assisting people in finding cooling stations and shaded areas.
• City waste collection will begin early, with residential services at 4:30 a.m. and commercial services at 3:30 a.m. Residents should place carts on the curb the night before their collection day.
• OHPI has opened cooling stations, with locations at Arbor Youth Services, Lexington Rescue Mission, Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, New Life Day Center, New Vista Drop-In Center, Nathanial Mission, and Recover Café Lexington.