SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – This week’s heat advisory is being felt by many San Diegans, including those tasked with putting out fires and protecting people and property.
“Firefighting is inherently a hot job,” Battalion Chief Derek Miller with San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.“Going into a structure fire, we have our structural firefighting gear with our breathing apparatus and any tools that we might be using or carrying, and then obviously working inside of that environment where it's superheated gases.”
Miller is the battalion chief for Fire Station 5 in Hillcrest.
“Those superheated gases can get really hot, especially when the ambient outside air is also hot, and so that can be pretty taxing,” Miller said.
Miller told ABC 10News their firefighting gear can weigh up to 30 to 80 pounds depending on what you’re using.
“That gear is also meant to keep heat out, uh, which means that it also keeps heat in,” Miller said.
On Sunday, crews had to fight a fire in temperatures over 100 degrees in the Lincoln Park area.
Miller said crews are told to pre-hydrate before shift when the temps get as hot as they are now.
“So the heat makes us think about ordering extra resources quickly so that we can rotate crews through work cycles. Usually in a structure fire, it's one breathing apparatus bottle,” Miller said. “Once you breathe down one bottle, you're going to want to rotate that crew out and get a fresh person in there and give them a rest, cool themselves off.”
Miller also said crews are all trained to know the signs of heat-related illness to watch out for themselves and each other. The fire department also has an ambulance company that checks the vitals of crew members to make sure everything is fine before heading out to any other calls.
“It is something that we are familiar with, and thankfully we have, you know, policies, protocols, and procedures to implement to
