TULSA, Okla. — Amid another week of triple-digit temperatures — with the hottest to come on Tuesday — emergency crews are busy responding to heat-related calls.
EMSA has responded to more than 80 suspected heat-related illness calls in the Tulsa area since July 1. Fifty-five of those patients had to be taken to the hospital.
“Those numbers are extremely high for such a short amount of time and number two, transporting that many people means that people are actually succumbing to the heat,” says EMSA's Adam Paluka.
Paluka says the hot temperatures this summer are concerning. So far this year, EMSA's eastern division has responded to 231 heat-related illness calls. All of last year they responded to 377. EMSA says they are seeing a substantial increase in calls this year and expect the numbers to continue going up.
“This is probably the most intense summer we’ve had in a decade," Paluka says. "I’m concerned because right now, the numbers that we’ve had year-to-date we would be expecting to see those numbers to the tail end of the summer, not right here in the heart of it."
Paluka says most heat-related calls are for adults between 20 and 40.
“People probably think it's elderly folks, people with pre-existing conditions, they have a pacemaker, and they are actually outside, they aren’t used to it and that’s why they had to call 911. But it's actually 20 to 40-year-olds who think they are invincible."
Paluka says he hopes everyone takes the heat seriously since it could last at least another two weeks.
Trending Stories:
- The story behind the llama billboard in Broken Arrow
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck wed in Las Vegas drive-through
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Tulsa police investigating homicide at the Center of The Universe
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
