Heat advisories are in effect throughout Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, and people who work outside are especially at risk.
Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins told 40/29 the gear firefighters put on can add 100 pounds onto firefighters, and temperatures inside the gear can get higher than 100 degrees.
“It feels like you’re almost wrapped in saran wrap or something and going into a fire and somebody's putting you into an oven," said Rogers firefighter, Ramsey Emerson.
The Rogers Fire Department practices prevention to avoid heat exhaustion. “The first thing we do is we recognize when it’s going to be a day that’s hot. We make sure our firefighters are hydrated. And when we have high heat days like today, we’re more likely to call in reinforcements and backup than we might be otherwise," said Chief Tom Jenkins, Rogers Fire Department.