August in Hot Springs National Park may not be rivaling Death Valley's 130 degrees this summer, but that doesn't mean a lack of heat and humidity.
For firefighters, including those with the Hot Springs Fire Department, the heat index, humidity and dew point significantly impact how they operate.
On Sunday, one Hot Springs firefighter had to be treated by LifeNet after experiencing heat stress from fighting a fire at 221 Leigh Circle.
"It is hot enough and fatiguing enough just to deal with a fire," said Hot Springs Fire Chief Ed Davis. "But when you add on the insulating factor of the turnout gear, the weight of the SCBA, and having to control a hose line under an immense amount of pressure, it is like they are performing a lot of duties that are similar to what a construction worker would perform.
"We have to monitor the firefighters very closely. We have a program that we do, though, where they respond to help the safety officer out to work on structure fires."
According to Training Officer Ty Farris, elements such as temperature, heat index, humidity, and dew point all play a factor. Once temperatures reach 92 degrees or higher or if the heat index is projected to be over 100 degrees, the department activates a safety officer.
"We just recognized it several, several years ago (when) we had a really hot fire and we had three or four people end up going home that day," said Farris. "So that's why we kind of instituted this. I'm here five days a week, so I can handle it if we don't have one of those officers available but if we can employ one during these hot times, it definitely helps on the fire ground because that'll free me up to be a safety officer.
"Basically what he does, he keeps a couple of coolers full of ice with water, Gatorade, and then we usually have some towels in there. One of the biggest cooling effects for us is once (a firefighter) comes out we can get them out of their jackets, we can give them a cold water towel around their neck and that will pretty much instantly cool their core. We try to let these guys not initiate firefight for more than 10 or 15 minutes during times like this, just because the added stress and the heat is our big concern."
While working to suppress a fire, firefighters wear about an additional 100 pounds of gear, including an insulated turnout suit, boots, helmet, and oxygen tanks to keep them safe. However, Farris says the gear is not breathable, trapping their own sweat, and extremely bulky by design.
Davis noted that in times of extreme heat, he limits outdoor activities for his firefighters so they can stay fresh and alert to respond to a call.
"We do everything we can to encourage them to hydrate. We also encourage them to do their training early in the mornings when it's cool so if we do have a large-scale event, they'll be as capable as possible. ... We want them to have the energy level necessary to be able to respond to emergencies," Davis said.
"We try to strategically think through the issues and design tactics to support our primary goals."