ST. LOUIS, Mo (KSDK)--The Fourth of July holiday brought scorching temperatures to the St. Louis area. At Fair St. Louis, firefighters responded to more than 40 calls for heat related incidents. One of those calls was for our very own Jenn Sullivan.
She was reporting on the heat, when she became disoriented, dizzy, and nearly passed out. Paramedics rushed over to help her. Those are all signs of heat exhaustion. She was put in a stretcher, they threw wet towels on top of her, doused her in cold water, and made her drink plenty of water.
Sullivan said the symptoms came on all of a sudden, making it even scarier.
Dr. Ashu Joshi, with SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in very quickly. That's why it's important to know what to look out for.
"Recognize that as the symptoms come on, your own thinking is getting clouded. You’re not able to make quick rational decisions and that increases the risk of an adverse outcome," said Dr. Joshi.
Heat Exhaustion can happen when people are working or playing in the heat and become dehydrated. Heat Stroke is a life-threatening medical condition. It usually develops because of untreated heat exhaustion.
If you think you or someone you're with has signs of either, it's important to get medical help immediately.
