LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- The official start of summer is less than 5 days away and temperatures are on the rise.
Sunday, multiple counties received moderate heat advisories, and Little Rock reached a high of 97 degrees.
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This is all pushing Little Rock’s Fire department to push heat safety awareness and safety perceptions.
“When it really starts to get hot for several days, we’ll start seeing an increase where people haven’t acclimated to the heat yet,” Captain Jason Weaver said.
He says it’s things like heat strokes and exhaustion that catches many by surprise.
“With heat exhaustion your body has used up all of its water and salt, so you’ll start getting an increased heart rate, and with a heat stroke you’ll have very similar symptoms but then you’ll have an increased core temperature,” Weaver said.
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He says heat illnesses can sometimes be avoided if people wear lighter clothes, stay hydrated, and plan accordingly.