LANSING, Mich. — Whether you call it a heat wave or a drought, this week, mid-Michigan has been slapped with some pretty high temperatures. Everyone has been feeling it, including firefighters.
“The 90-degree weather elevated here in Michigan is not quite as bad as when I was in Arizona, it was a 110 of dry heat,” said Lansing Fire Department Chief Brian Sturdivant.
Sturdivant said, while the heat isn’t pleasant, he knew it was coming. He also knows how it doesn’t make things easier when it comes to putting out flames.
“It could take its toll, and what we find is it would take a lot more man power,” he said.
So far this week, we’re told the fire department has responded to five different incidents, and Sturdivant said when it’s this hot, he encourages all firefighters to take advantage of the "rehab center."
“That’s basically where we set up a sector on the fire ground outside of the hot zone where, when we rotate crews, their first stop is to the rehab center, so that they can take their gear off, they can drink a bottle of water, they can get their vitals taken by our EMS staff, and it's just part of our process to ensure we’re taking care of members,” Sturdivant said.
Each fire truck has air conditioning and a way to communicate back to the station if back up is needed. While Sturdivant said he’s making sure the firefighters are taken care of during the heat, he also wants to encourage you at home to stay safe.
“I just want to encourage everyone to seek shelter, find somewhere to stay cool like the CATA center, the library, and just stay cool and safe,” he said.
