Typical weather incidents expected

The Sentinel-Record/Colbie McCloud IN THE SHADE: Rick Marshall, of Texas, and his dog, Cooper, take a break from the heat in the shade on Bathhouse Row downtown Thursday while reading a brochure about Hot Springs. Temperatures are expected to reach into the upper 90s for the next several days with heat index values climbing into the triple digits.
The Sentinel-Record/Colbie McCloud IN THE SHADE: Rick Marshall, of Texas, and his dog, Cooper, take a break from the heat in the shade on Bathhouse Row downtown Thursday while reading a brochure about Hot Springs. Temperatures are expected to reach into the upper 90s for the next several days with heat index values climbing into the triple digits.

Hot Springs' emergency personnel said Tuesday they expect this summer to be typical as far as weather-related incidents, since the weather seems to be following the same pattern as the last few years.

LifeNet Emergency Medical Services and Hot Springs Fire Department officials said they have experienced similar trends in emergencies brought about by the elements as in the summers of 2013-2015. Fire Chief Ed Davis said this year's weather is following suit with those years.

"It's certainly not the hottest and it's certainly not the most pleasant," Davis said. "It's about what you'd expect for Arkansas--highs in the mid-90s and periodic rainstorms."

This past week has been a textbook example of this pattern--the temperatures and humidity of the past few days (93 degrees and 90 percent, according to National Weather Service) were preceded by severe thunderstorms Thursday evening and Friday morning. As a result, the fire department has responded to few heat-related incidents in Hot Springs.

"Our brush fires have been very, very small--nothing went to over about a 20-by-30-foot area," Davis said. "There have been some larger brush fires in Garland County, but Hot Springs has not experienced many brush fires of any note."

While the heat has not necessitated many emergency responses in Hot Springs so far this summer, the city's frequent rains have caused problems. Jason Gartner, general manager of LifeNet, said that his responders frequently answer to emergencies caused by automobiles driving over rainwater that has mixed with discharged gasoline on sections of road.

"It creates a lot of accidents," Gartner said of the mix of fluids. "Typically, when we have those rains and storms that come through, we'll have a temporary increase in call volume related to car accidents that we'll have to deal with."

Gartner said that during the most recent storms, his response teams dealt with an incident uncommon to summer months--a carbon dioxide poisoning. This occurred when a family that was running a generator in their house was not giving the exhaust proper ventilation, causing the house to fill with fumes. He said that this kind of accident happens at higher rates in the winter, when power outages and gas usage are more common, but given the circumstances, he fully understood why the accident occurred.

"This is not something typical to see, but it makes sense," Gartner said. "Because if you're running a power generator or some other device inside your home and you're not letting those exhaust fumes get outside, those are the right conditions for a poisoning."

Although it has caused accidents, the fire department also sees the rain as a positive force, specifically as a way to temper future brush fires. Davis said that fires tend to happen later in the summer, and that the current showers will hopefully keep this part of the season under control.

"We're hoping that periodic rains will hold out through August," Davis said. "If they do, our late August to early September fire season won't be too bad."

Finally, Gartner and Davis both recommend that the public prepare accordingly for the elements each day. Gartner recommended drinking a sports drink throughout the day so that one's water and electrolyte levels stay at a healthy level. Davis recommended staying in the shade, using sunscreen and taking rest breaks as needed.

"It's very, very easy to get out in the weather, not be prepared for it and then overexert and bring about some type of health crisis," Davis said. "We want everybody to avoid that."

Local on 07/22/2016

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