Americus Fire Chief gives tips for staying cool & safe

Local News

June 23, 2009

Robert Griffin

AMERICUS —

“It is so hot outside!” “How do you like this heat?” “It’s so hot you can fry an egg outside!” Almost anywhere you go now, you are bound to be greeted by at least one of the previous statements, or at least have the weather as a topic of conversation. Temperatures are meeting or breaking the 100 degree mark, and needless to say the dog days of summer are upon us.

Along with the rising temperatures Summer also brings with it increasing health risks. Whether your job requires you to be out in the heat, or you are just soaking up the sun, there are some precautions that you should take to keep you and your family safe. Chief Allen Erkhart of Americus Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) reminds everyone to take the proper precautions to avoid being overcome by the summer heat. “The best advice I can give is to remember to keep yourself hydrated, and take some breaks every now and then, and try to avoid drinking a lot of alcohol” says Erkhart.

Erkhart said to also try to limit strenuous activity to the coolest part of the day. “The firefighters do their PT every morning at around 6:30 in order to avoid the heat,” Erkhart said.

It is not only outdoors that people need to be worried about the heat. During summer residents with window air conditioner units will often run them non-stop throughout the day. “Running a window unit can be very harmful,” Erkhart said. “There was a fire that happened in Albany not to long ago, where they left the window unit on and the power cord got so hot its started a fire, and the house was a total loss.”

So what is the best way to beat the heat? One way to beat the heat is to take a nice cool swim in one of the many pools that are in Americus and Sumter County.