Some local fire agencies are breathing a sigh of relief with 90-degree days in the rear-view mirror.
The Camas-Washougal Fire Department reports the recent string of hot days caused its emergency call volume to double. Usually the department gets about 10 calls a day, Chief Nick Swinhart said in a release. Since last Friday, the department has averaged 20 calls a day, with a high of 28 calls on Monday.
The spike was primarily due to the hot weather, said Division chief of EMS Cliff Free.
“We didn’t have any catastrophic injuries, water incidents, rescues or things like that,” he said. “It was our usual summer incidents, just in higher volume because of the heat.”
The department suggests residents stay hydrated in the heat. That’s particularly important for the elderly, children, those without air conditioning and people working or playing outside, Chief Free said.
Clark County Fire & Rescue has started to see more of another typical summer call: brush and grass fires.
The agency responded to a few reported fires but none were significant, said Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy.
Still, Dawdy said people should be “extra careful” with barbecues and open flames.
The Southwest Clean Air Agency issued a burn ban on all outdoor burning on July 15 that will last through Oct. 1.
“If they make a mistake, call us right away. Don’t hesitate,” he said. “It’s better to get us out there and catch it while its small (than to wait).”
Clark County Fire District 6 didn’t really see an increase in heat-related calls over the weekend, said spokesman Peter Loeb. The exception is the 12 to 18 calls generated a day at the Clark County Fair. Some of those are heat exhaustion calls and others are trips, falls or other things, he said.
