Fire Crews Forced To Rehab – Crews battle flames and work to prevent heat stroke.
Omaha, NE — A Monday morning house fire had firefighters pulling double duty. Crews battle flames and work to prevent heat stroke. The fire happened around 8:45 this morning near 31st and T Street.
No one was home at the time, crews search the interior before the flames forced them out. Fire fighters were forced to battle the inferno outside. With temperatures reaching upper 80’s early in the day, the heat even then is dangerous to their health. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Stolinski said when it’s hot crews are forced to work in shifts. “It’s just a hot day and these guys get beat up pretty bad on days like this, so we started a rehab over here with our medic unit and our Chaplin brings cold water over here to these fires. They’ll work themselves until they can’t anymore, so we have to try to put guys in rehab,” explained Asst. Chief Stolinski.
Rehab includes taking off bunker coats and air packs, checking blood pressure and then monitoring for fifteen minutes, plus lots of water. On really hot days, additional fire departments join to relieve strained individuals. The only injured individual was a cat that had smoke inhalation. Medics gave the cat oxygen before it ran away from the chaos. No major injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Reported By: Rebekah Rae, rrae@action3news.com