The sun is shining and people are trying to make the most out of the Fourth of July holiday.
“I'm out here with a group of my friends camping and having a good time, you know, staying hydrated," said Julio, who traveled to Atascadero from Ohio. “We got a few jugs of water.”
Those with pets and babies are constantly looking for the shade.
“[We] drink lots of fluids and we have a fan going on her. There's a little stroller fan that we have,” said Sneha Gorantala, who was visiting from San Jose.
Although it is tempting to spend the holiday weekend outdoors, it has been incredibly hot inland. In the last three days, northern San Luis Obispo County's interior valleys topped 100 degrees and Saturday was 111 in Paso Robles — a record for the date.
While the heat looks to back off soon, it's a long summer and knowing how to identify heat-related illness can be life-saving.
“The people that are most susceptible are going to be the small children, the elderly, people who work outdoors and athletes who are working outdoors,” said Paso Robles Fire Captain/Paramedic Charles Brown.
Paso Robles firefighters are already seeing heat-related emergencies.
“People are going to be traveling with their children any time this week. Just really pay attention to how easy it is to lock your children in the car,” Capt. Brown said. “Just on Sunday, we responded to two calls for children locked in the car where we had to open up the vehicle.”
If you are planning to work outdoors, keep these essentials in mind.
“Make sure you bring plenty of water, loose-fitting clothes, light-colored clothes, if you can do your physical activity earlier in the morning,” Brown recommended.
Be on the lookout for symptoms of heat exhaustion.
“Rapid pulse, rapid breathing. Sometimes people can start feeling faint. They can start feeling a little like they're going to be dizzy and going unconscious,” Brown added. “Relax, drink electrolytes, slow down, cooling measures with cool rags,” Brown said.
Here is when to call 911.
“The biggest heat emergency we're going to see is a heat stroke, and that's where people are going to have unconsciousness, they're going to faint,” Brown said. “They’re going to stop sweating, you'll see pale skin. ”
Fire officials also recommend checking on elders who might live alone just to make sure they are coping with the heat safely.
