COLORADO SPRINGS — "I'm not impressed," A tongue in cheek comment about the before noon, nearly 100-degree temperature in Colorado Springs, made by a longtime resident named Cynthia. She is out with her granddaughter at Memorial Park. They both carry bottles with water. "If you don't have water...it's not a good thing."
Brittany Nunez an Emergency Medical Field Specialist with Colorado Springs Fire Department is in full support of extra water on extra hot days. "We chronically don't drink enough water."
First responders work to stock their emergency vehicles appropriate for daily conditions. "They're going to be making sure they have extra I.V. fluids available, you know extra things available to help cool down those patients that may be struggling from heat stroke or heat exhaustion," said Nunez. Ice packs and airconditioned rigs are also resources for cooling patients.
Emergency medical responders have been busy going to heat related health problems. Helping tourists is common, there are also calls for people not in the best shape, but there are also dispatches to perfectly healthy people who underestimate the heat's drain on their body.
“Dehydration will take you down. Heat will take you down and you've got to be very in tune and monitor that. Don't just assume because you're strong and you're fit, that you're going to be okay," said Nunez.
There is another unsuspecting group. "That's probably one of the biggest dangers, is people who know they're not exercising, don't think it's necessarily critical to continue monitoring their own health. They don't recognize how warm they are getting and how dehydrated they have become." When the heat is extreme, even doing common day to day tasks can lead to heat related issues.
Drinking plenty of fluids is the best prevention. Not all liquids are equal when it comes to hydration. The best is nice clear water.
