FORT WORTH, Texas — The temperature on the vehicle thermometer read 101 Thursday afternoon, but MedStar's Brian White didn't need to see that to know it was hot. He could tell because so many people needed help.
"The humidity is way up and the temperature is up," said White, a supervisor with MedStar in Fort Worth. "Those two make a bad combination for heat calls."
Thursday, MedStar crews treated three times more people for heat-related illnesses than Wednesday. Fifteen people were taken to the hospital. Two of those were in critical condition.
With the heat index at 105 degrees Thursday afternoon, MedStar activated their extreme weather protocol to get patients help as quickly as possible.
"If they're outside in the elements, we actually upgrade the call to a lights-and-sirens response," White said.
WFAA was with crews as they responded to multiple heat-related calls. At one call outside a homeless shelter south of downtown, a man with possible heat exposure was also suffering from a string of seizures. In west Fort Worth, a man in his 60s complained of chest pain and problems dealing with the heat.
White said heat exhaustion or heat stroke is what happens when your body cannot regulate its temperature, and that can be life or death.
"You're basically starting the cooking process," White said.
While many heat calls require additional treatment at a hospital, not all calls end at the ER. Ambulances are stocked with fluids and with cool gel packs that can be activated and placed near key arteries to quickly cool core temperatures.
White said that the sudden shift in temperature makes the problem worse because people have not had time to acclimate to the weather this year. He encourages people to hydrate and get out of the heat to protect themselves.
He worries most about people who work outside or are homeless and cannot escape the heat and humidity, but anyone can be susceptible.
MedStar knows it will be a long summer.
"I'm expecting more heat-related calls tomorrow," White said.