Firefighter from Carmel offers precautionary advice on how to stay cool and healthy in the heat

Carmel, Indiana – First responders are issuing a warning over the health risks the heat poses with temperatures expected to reach above 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday.

“It’s early in the year to seeing these kinds of numbers, so people might not be thinking about just some of the common sense stuff,” Carmel firefighter Tim Griffin, said.

Griffin argues that it’s crucial to keep in mind the fundamentals, such as drinking plenty of water and avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun to avoid developing heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

“You’re going to start to overheat, and then if you get hot enough, some of your vital organs can start to have issues. You can have heat stroke. There can be so many medical problems that come from that, so you need to make sure that you’re staying cool and then hydrated,” Griffin said.

He advises against leaving kids unsupervised in hot cars because the effects of the heat can be more acute in them. He also claims that their bodies are less capable of controlling the heat than adults are.

“It won’t take but just a few minutes before you can really damage or injure that child with those extreme heats,” Griffin said.

Our canine companions can experience heat exhaustion, according to Griffin, a parent of two dogs and two kids.

According to him, they should drink lots of water, watch out for their paws because walking a dog on hot pavement can cause severe burns, and never leave your pet unattended in a parked car.

“Just like us keep them hydrated. If you’re going somewhere and your dog is with you, you can’t leave it in the car. These temperatures in the car rise upwards of 120, 130 degrees or higher, so you need to make sure that that they’re inside not left in the car,” Griffin said.

The Carmel Fire Department advises having lots of water and taking pauses in the shade if you must be outside.