Summer Heat Especially Brutal for Firefighters

When the alarm sounds, firefighters spring into action, and heat waves — like the one the East End is experiencing — simply can't slow them down. 

Heat exhaustion is a common occurrence as intense temperatures and high humidity make it more difficult for firefighters to do their jobs safely.

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Thomas Bono said making sure his firefighters don't over exert themselves is a constant worry for him on the scene of fires when the temperature spikes. 

"You're busting your hump trying to get in," First Assistant Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said. "You're dragging a hose line or carrying a set of tools , crawling around, trying to find a victim or search to the find fire — It's hard work." 

Just on Thursday morning, in Brooklyn, a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, according to NBC News. The television station also reported nine firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries after a Bronx fire on Wednesday. 

Even before the heat wave struck, a house fire on Old Stone Highway in Amagansett, during a warm summer day, sent two firefighters to the hospital after they were overcome by the heat. 

The weather and heat from the flames aren't the only considerations, but the gear firefighters wear. With all of the protective gear on, plus the self-contained breathing apparatus pack, firefighters wear about 60 to 70 pounds of extra weight. While it's meant to keep the heat of the flame out, its counter effect is the body heat stays in. 

On Wednesday evening, First Assistant Chief Richard Osterberg donned his gear to demonstrate the effort it requires.

After he pulled on his boots, trousers and coat, he put the air pack on his back and tested out his face mask — his lifeline to fresh air in any hazardous situation. "I've checked my mask and I'm sweating already, and I really haven't done anything yet," he said.

The National Fire Protection Association outlines the gear all interior and exterior firefighters have to wear. 

Turnout coats and trousers are a layered protection system that includes a fire-resistive outer shell. Protective flash-hoods, made of a fire-resistive, form-fitting cloth, encapsulate most of the head, except the face, to protect the ears, hair, and neck, as well as to keep the air mask's straps from melting. Helmets, designed to shed water and prevent embers from hitting the firefighter, are also heavy. Steel-toed boots and gloves that provide thermal protection round out the personal protective equipment.

According to the NFPA, the body's core temperature can increase due to the very encapsulation that the gear is supposed to provide to prevent burns as it also inhibits the body from cooling down. 

"Heat stress can generate numerous cardiac-related conditions, which are the leading cause of firefighter fatalities," according to the "Firefighter's Handbook." 

"You've got to be careful," Osterberg said. "Any sort of shortness of breath, cramps, fatigue, numbness in your limbs, etc., guys getting red in the face. That's what us chiefs look for." 

East Hampton firefighters carry one bottle of air — not oxygen, but rather pressurized air — that is supposed to last one hour. The firefighter's size and breathing pattern will determine how long the bottle lasts. It typically lasts Osterberg, who weighs about 160 pounds, about 45 minutes. "I could probably only work for a half-hour before I get heat exhaustion in this weather," he said. 

When they used all of the tank, firefighters have to get assessed by emergency medical personnel.

"Every time they come out, the main thing is to unbutton, get everything off, and get over to rehab and get some water in you and get the ambulance to check you out," Bono said.