How firefighters keep cool during summer heat when structures are ablaze

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Scene of an earlier fire that Greater Naples Fire responded to. (Credit: WINK News)
Scene of an earlier fire that Greater Naples Fire responded to. (Credit: WINK News)

Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire on Seminole Ave. in east Naples Thursday morning. Now, officials have a warning: Be extra careful during the hot temperatures we are dealing with now.

Firefighters have a tough job already as they run into burning buildings and walk through dense smoke. As the summer comes closer, they can expect more sun and humid air. It is impediments they faced when trying to save a home from getting destroyed.

On Thursday around 10 a.m., crews were trying to keep each other cool by using a spray bottle or standing in the shade while resting in rotation.

Those are some of the tactics the Greater Naples Fire District uses to keep firefighters from getting injured on the labor-intensive job amid hot conditions.

“We try to bring in the crews much more quickly, hydrate them more often, and their work periods we try to make them as short as possible,” said Kingman Schuldt, Greater Naples Fire Rescue District chief. “But in emergency situations, that’s not always possible.”

Chief Schuldt said these methods are common practice throughout the departments in the county. He adds, for each response team, 17 firefighters respond.

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