Contra Costa firefighters struggle against elements during heat wave
ANTIOCH -- Firefighters in the East Bay are bracing themselves for having to answer calls amid the intense temperatures of the current wave.
Firefighters have to wear and carry heavy gear. On extremely hot days, suiting up for a call can be extra challenging.
"If we were going to a fire, I'd also put my breather on, with my gloves," said Contra Costa Fire Protection District firefighter Spencer Dicks, who went on to describe the toughest part of the job.
"I'd say once the adrenaline wears off, once we actually get the fire out and it's time to put out hot spots and do salvage and overhaul and do the secondary search -- by then the adrenaline's worn off and the exhaustion is kicking in," he said.
Con Fire captains pay special attention to the safety of their crews on weekends like this one, hoping to prevent heat-related injuries and illnesses.
Captain Brandon Burruss said the gear can weigh north of 90 pounds. Rehab units can also respond with water and shade to working incidents.
"We have a pretty robust physical fitness program here. That's a big part of it. But it's hard to account for 104 degree temperatures," said Burrus. "But we encourage hydration the night before, during the work day. Rest cycles when appropriate. We're kind of depleted on resources a lot of times, just like most agencies in the state of California."
Cal Fire put out an internal advisory going into this weekend reminding staff of more active fire behavior. Officials are keeping a close eye on the health of its firefighters
"We so far we have been I would say cautiously we've been fairly successful at doing that, but we still have the hottest days ahead of us," said Cal Fire chief deputy director Chris Anthony.
To get a sense of the weight firefighters carry, reporter Betty Yu stepped into their boots, the pants and threw on the jacket before slowly her way to the fire engine to get the rest of the gear.
Shortly after showing Yu the ropes, Dicks and Burrus had to respond to a call.
"You're dealing with a group of people who will put themselves before anybody, so they're going to go to work on whatever's out of control, to get it back into control," said Burruss.