This week alone, MedStar teams have witnessed heatstroke to mental impairment because of the severe weather. Call volume has increased and the nature of some emergencies have been critical.
In one day, Emergency Medical Technicians almost broke a record and responded to 19 heat related calls. Fourteen people were transported to the hospital and one man was in critical condition.
"We are really concerned with our homeless population, and anyone who is working outside," said Taylor Davis, an EMT Basic with MedStar. "If we reach a patient who is unresponsive the first thing we do is get them out of the heat, put them on a stretcher, and get them cool. We have cool packs in the ambulance. We place them on all of their major arteries to cool them down quicker."
The high today is expected to reach 109 degrees.