How Las Vegas ambulance crews stay safe in triple-digit temperatures

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – As heat rises so does the number of heat-related calls for ambulance crews across the Las Vegas valley.

Treyson Hobbs told 8 News Now he has been driving ambulances for AMR for the last two years. He started in a small town in Idaho and now helps save lives here in the valley.

“Here in Vegas it’s just constantly moving, and we have to be ready to keep moving with this city,” Hobbs explained. “We see an influx of heat-related calls. We live in the desert it’s a hundred degrees every day our bodies were not made for that in the first place.”

The most common heat-related calls they get are heat exhaustion or even an unresponsive patient with heat stroke. They start treating these patients with fluids and ice packs, but some require more extreme measures.

“I’ve cut open many bags of saline and started to pour them over people’s abdominals and their legs just trying to get them to cool down,” Hobbs said. “Because they are so hot sometimes you feel like you are going to burn your hands when you touch them.”

While patients are rushed to the hospital for treatment ambulance crews have to stay safe themselves.

“Our supervisors will drive around and give out otter pops, and cooling rags to our crew members trying to keep them cool and keep them safe as they are taking care of our community members,” he added.

The crews also get water, Gatorade, and can take quick breaks at the hospital as they drop off a patient. Then it’s off to the next call.

The easiest way to avoid going for a ride to the hospital is to stay hydrated and limit dehydrating drinks like alcohol. The one day you forget to stay safe in the heat is when those symptoms can come on quickly.

If you start to feel nausea, confusion, fast pulse, or dizziness with a high body temp then call 911 right away.

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