Fighting fires is a challenging affair even in ideal conditions. When doing interior firefighting something called “Thermal Insult” is a big concern. In short it means taking more heat punishment to the body than it is built for. In heavy fire conditions this thermal insult can happen in short order and create firefighter safety issues. All firefighters wear protective gear to help shield the effects of extreme heat.
Another potential thermal insult can come from our summer weather. High heat and or humidity can tax firefighting crews to their breaking point too. While this effect is not as dramatic as taking too much heat in a fire, the result can be equally dangerous.
In Eden Prairie we take firefighter safety very seriously. As a result we always make sure we have a cool and shady place to refresh our firefighters and we bring plenty of water and sport drinks to our emergency scenes.
Of course summer will soon be gone for another year and we can get ready to battle the flames in the bitter cold of winter, another challenge for another season.
