FORT WORTH, Texas — If you have to be outside on this simmering first day of summer, the pool is likely where you want to be.
The heat index Friday reached well above 100 degrees.
For the countless people who work outside, the heat is something they can't escape.
WFAA caught up with a forestry crew in the midst of the late-morning heat Friday in Fort Worth. The crew was clearing downed trees from Sunday's storms.
"They're outdoors from the time we start work, seven in the morning, until the time we finish, usually 4:30, sometimes even later," said Rustin Stephens, who runs the department. "Their safety is our first concern."
Crews go through hot weather safety training, get stocked with water and are educated on the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
"Dizziness, you may have some clammy hands," Stephens listed as signs to look for. "When it gets really bad, they stop sweating, which is super bad. And being disoriented, you'd definitely notice that in your crew members."
Even at the city pools, where people go specifically to cool off, staff is trained to look for signs that people are overheating.
And you better believe the City's pothole crews, who are working with 300-degree hot mix asphalt, take heat safety seriously.
"As many breaks as they need to take during the day they can," said Juan Cadena, chief operating officer for the transportation portion of the City's Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "That's not an issue."
Cadena says jobs like this one have to continue in any climate; they just do it safely.
"It's what we do," he said.
All summer long.
More WFAA heat coverage: