Boston EMS Respond To Dozens More Calls During The Heat
BOSTON (CBS) -- In a way, stretches of extreme heat are similar to stretches of stormy winter weather: you should be checking in on your neighbor. And for Boston EMS, extreme heat means a busy day is ahead.
According to the Boston EMS Superintendent, dozens more calls come in during heat waves.
"The elderly, people who have any type of medical illness or disability that is chronic, they all have those things exacerbated so that certainly, it's a secondary effect of the heat," explained EMS worker Len Shubitowski.
The heat puts stress on the bodies of patients and paramedics.
"So if you have a 200-pound patient, and your 15 pounds of equipment, and your 45-pound chair, two people are carrying out 260 pounds," explained Shubitowski.
And EMS workers make an effort to be good neighbors too.
"Everybody has a spot in their district where they know people hang out. So you go and you sit there and you say alright, you just swing by in your ambulance or in your supervisor's car and you take a look. You look for your regulars."
On this hot Wednesday night, there are a lot of people hanging out at Fenway Park. The Red Sox use industrial misters and ice to keep fans cool.
One fan said, "not only is the temperature hot, but you're very close to a lot of people."
So how does he cope? "Drink a lot of water and an occasional beer."