It’s about 5:30 in the morning on Thursday, July 2, in possibly the hottest week of the summer so far. It’s hot enough that sanitation workers like Bill Rowe and Donnie Miles are starting early.
Rowe actuates the recycle bin to shake remaining paper and plastic into the back of the truck.
It’s only 77 degrees right now, but will climb into the high 90’s later with dense humidity, triggering another heat advisory, and increased visits to local emergency rooms, according to the Vanderburgh County Health Department.
Misty Kochis with Republic Services said it takes time for her workers to become acclimated to the hot weather. “But once they're acclimated, they typically know what to do,” she said.
Companies like Republic Services have plans and policies to keep their workers safe as they work in the sun during heat advisories. In the case of Republic workers, they’re provided with water and Gatorade at the start of the route.
Kochis said on weeks with extreme heat, the city makes an exception to the ordinance and lets trash collection start at 05:30 a.m.
Republic supervisors make regular runs out to the routes to give fresh ice water and Gatorade throughout the day. Two-person crews switch positions to let one driver cool off in the cab while the other handles the curbside bins.
Kochis said they’ve had drivers stop their routes to recover from the heat. Summer is more dangerous than Winter, she said. “Because in the wintertime you've got to wear layers of clothing and bundle up, and there's the risk of frostbite, but not as severe as in the summer.”
Too much heat exposure and not enough water can lead to various stages of heat illness. Vanderburgh County Health Officer Jason Bredenkamp MD, said these start with heat cramps and nausea. “All the way to heat stroke, and by definition, ‘heat stroke’ means that you are experiencing altered mental status, change in level of consciousness based on your exposure to heat,” he said.
He said anytime one’s core body temperature reaches 104 degrees or higher, it can no longer function like it's supposed to. “It causes myriad complications in your body,” Bredenkamp said. “All of which can be very serious and life-threatening.”
Everything from issues neurologic to musculoskeletal to metabolic, kidney and heart. “Basically you name the organ, and it does not function well at core body temperatures greater than 104,” he said.
Bredenkamp is an emergency physician, who recently saw a spike in ER visits during the hottest days.
“It's not just a matter of the raw temperature, but the added humidity to create heat indexes that were well above 110 and in those conditions, even short exposure, especially short exposure that's coupled with exercise, alcohol, or other certain medications, can very rapidly lead to problems.”
(video still below: firefighters relax with water and cool wet towels after fighting the fire on Tuesday, July 7.)
Sanitation workers and anyone working outdoors are at risk. But firefighters have a unique challenge in the heat, said Eric Jamison Evansville Fire Department Battalion Chief of Health and Safety.
“In a house fire, you can reach temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees, and so now we come outside, and today's not terrible, but last week, when it's over 100 degrees, their internal body temperature can be 103 which is similar to a high-grade fever.”
Jamison is managing the EFD rehab unit at the site of a residential fire on the city’s east side, Tuesday July 7. No one was home, or injured in this fire.
While a milder day, they still labor to keep firefighters cool in their bunker gear. They’re sitting in the shade with water bottles and cool wet towels on their head and neck.
“So we have misting fans that we can set up, we have a pop-up tent for shade, we have water, Gatorade, liquid IV sticks to try and rehydrate the body coolers of ice.”
The goal of the rehab unit is to reset the body temperature once the firefighter exits a superheated structure.
Jamison said thirst is a late sign of the body needing water. Two department members have been hospitilazed for dehydration already.
The signs of heat illness are the same whether you’re in 45 pounds of gear or mowing the lawn — nausea, muscle cramps and lethargy are first signs.
Bredenkamp said the elderly and very young are affected firs by heat-related illness. “Which is why it's so important to check on your neighbors and make sure that they're doing okay, especially your elderly neighbors, when we have these heat emergencies.”
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