Austin first responders see increase in heat-related calls

AUSTIN, Texas - According to the CDC, 618 people die from extreme heat every year in the U.S. Austin-Travis County EMS has not seen any deaths, but have seen a dramatic increase in heat-related illness calls over the last week and a half.

It has been triple digit-temperatures in Central Texas for days. Inside an Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) ambulance, medics are stocked with equipment ready to help those who may experience a heat related illness.

"We are in a heat warning, extreme excessive heat warning. Utilize ice packs. Our ice packs are these little instant cold packs here. You just smash the chemical in there, shake it around, activate the chemical, and it becomes cold. Then we would place that under a patient's underarms or in the groin area, so it helps with the circulating blood, and it starts to cool down the patients," said Captain Darren Noak with ATCEMS.

Since June 11, ATCEMS has responded to 65 heat-related illness calls.

"We have seen an overall increase. It is Texas and its summer time in Texas, so we certainly expect to continue to see this trend continue throughout the summer months," said Noak.

Noak says on top of ice packs, they also carry chilled saline IV packs that can be used to cool down a patient's internal temperature. The ambulance also has fluid resistant bags inside the units.

"Basically, we would place ice and water inside the fluid resistant bag and then put the patient inside," said Noak.

Noak says EMS uses the phrase: "move them, cool them, call 911". He says if you see someone experiencing a heat-related illness, move the person out of the hot environment, cool them down, and then call 911.

"It's very important to bring that temperature down as quickly as possible," he said.

Texas leads the nation for child hot car deaths. Noak says there has already been one case in Houston.

"That's certainly a badge that we don't want to wear so be very cautious and don't ever leave a living thing inside a car during this heat," he said.

Here are some tips on how to stay cool in hot weather from the CDC: 

• Wear appropriate clothing: choose lightweight, loose-fitting clothing
• Stay cool indoors
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully
• Pace yourself
• Wear sunscreen
• Do not leave children in cars
• Avoid hot and heavy meals: they add heat to your body