This heatwave is making people sick. Emergency calls on the rise in Merced

Temperatures in the Central Valley consistently hit triple-digits, Merced fire fighters have seen an increase in calls for heat-related illnesses and fires, officials said.

Lately, the Merced Fire Department has received calls of people being in an alter level consciousness, said Matthew Van Hagen, engineer at the Merced Fire Department. People can start becoming unaware of their surroundings, he said, because they are outside and exposed to the heat for a long period of time.

When temperatures are as high as they have been, Van Hagen said, fires increase everywhere. A lot of it has to do with the dry grass and low humidity, he said.

“These factors increase the fire intensity,” he said.

Sometimes simple things like flicking a cigarette outside or mowing the lawn can start a fire, said Captain Brett Markarian with the Merced Fire Department.

“It only takes one spark,” Markarian said.

Van Hagen advices people to mow their lawns before 11 a.m. so they can take advantage of the cooler temperatures and higher humidity.

Scorching temperatures in Merced not only impact the amount of fires but the amount of personnel it takes to put out the fires, Van Hagen said. In temperatures like these firefighters can usually only work 15 to 18 minutes, he said, that cuts their usual work time in half.

“Our fire fighters can only work so long until they become fatigued,” Van Hagen said.

Depending on what kind of tools a firefighter needs at the time, Van Hagen said, they are adding 75 to 125 pounds of gear when going into burning building

In a duplex fire that occurred just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday an additional fire engine was requested because of heat conditions and fatigued fire fighters, officials reported.

“We make sure the guys have water and we keep rotating them,” Van Hagen said.

Temperatures in Merced are expected to drop to the high 90s by Friday and continue to cool throughout the weekend, officials at the National Weather Service in Hanford said.

To avoid heat-related illnesses, Van Hagen said people should try to stay inside as much as possible and to continue to drink a lot of water “even if you’re not thirsty because when you feel thirsty the dehydration process has already started.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 5:59 PM with the headline "This heatwave is making people sick. Emergency calls on the rise in Merced."