Today is a Pinpoint Alert Day, with another round of hot and dry temperatures in Western Washington.
Firefighters say there’s an elevated risk for fires to spread quickly in these conditions.
And, Seattle Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Maier tells us, time in that kind of heat puts additional physical stress on those crews.
“It takes longer to recover because of the temps or being in direct sunlight outside,” Maier said.
The strain is not coming from the fire itself, but the weather.
“There’s no difference in fighting a fire inside; the temperature of the fire doesn’t change,” Maier said. “When it’s 32 degrees outside, compared to if it’s 92 degrees outside... is the big difference. When we come outside to cool off, that takes longer, because temperatures during the day or night in summer are hotter.”
If they end up on a working fire, more resources are used on hot summer days.
“When it’s super hot, we will probably call for extra engines and ladder companies to come out so we can rotate people to give them longer breaks in that duration,” Maier said.
Fire crews tell us they take advantage of these breaks, “We have what’s called a mandatory rehab where we go and sit down in the shade, get water.”
On 90-degree days, SFD stops all training and “unnecessary outdoor activities.”
“Unless we are going on an alarm that 911 sends us on, we discontinue our activities to reduce physical demand on our bodies,” Maier said.
Fire crews say they look forward to cooler weather, but are prepared for anything before that drop in temperature comes.
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