Omaha firefighters made quick work of a small fire Wednesday morning near 158th and Ohio Circle. But with triple-digit temperatures and high humidity in the forecast for the next three days, firefighting efforts will become much more difficult and dangerous.
"Just what we're wearing on our body with an air pack is roughly 50 pounds," Acting Battalion Chief Jeff Andersen says. "It's like wearing your winter clothes in the middle of summer and then you're going into a super heated environment."
Andersen says carrying hoses can add possibly another 50 pounds and increase the risk for heat exhaustion. He says there are plenty of precautions they take to make sure each firefighter is safe.
He says on extremely hot days they rotate crews with fresh air tanks about every 20 minutes. "Give them a little break, give them a chance to take their coat off, cool down and hyrdrate.
He says being physically fit also helps them cope with the brutal conditions.