Health officials reminding North Texans to be aware, stay cool with record temperatures expected

FORT WORTH, Texas - With the record-breaking heat, officials are warning people to stay safe and be vigilant when it comes to heat-related illnesses.

The main thing MedStar wants people to keep in mind is diligence when it comes to hot temperatures.

So far this summer, there’s been 12 heat-related deaths in Tarrant County. 

"We have seen almost 760 cases that MedStar has responded to. It is not surprising that the medical examiner has now identified 12 cases that have been fatal," said Matt Zavadsky, with MedStar.

Zavadsky said scorching triple-digit temperatures are having a substantial impact on Tarrant County.

People were getting food to go instead of sitting outside on patios at Montgomery Plaza Saturday.

"It’s too hot. Anything over 100 is too hot. It’s crazy when it was 90, about 95, a couple of days ago, it felt nice outside," Mandy Moreno said.

Zavadsky said MedStar has seen more than 15 critical cases in the field.

"Recently, we had a patient who was an elderly patient found in his home. The home did not have air conditioning and his body temperature was 106 degrees. And situations like that do not have a good prognosis," he said.

Of the 12 death cases from heat-related illnesses, five people had no working A/C, two were working outdoors, three people were found outdoors, and two people had the A/C turned off, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.

"If your residence does not have air conditioning, and you have underlying medical conditions, now's the time to phone a friend to go somewhere where they might have air conditioning," Zavadsky said.

Zavadsky also said those without A/C in their homes can use fans, cool cloths, or take cool baths a couple of times a day to keep their body temperature low. 

"The key thing is to know if you start to have nausea, vomiting, headache, you become very thirsty. Those are indications that even if you're in the residence, you need to get some help," he said. "Either go into a cooler environment or call someone to come help you." 

For those who have to go outdoors, Zavadsky said the key is prehydration at least a day before they plan to be outside for any period of time.

And then, continue to hydrate while they are outside, and remember to wear light-colored clothing, like Annabelle Luna-Smith who exercised on Clear Fork Trinity Trail in Fort Worth. 

"I just decide to go for a long walk. I walk slower. It’s going to take more time and I walk in the shade. I might pause once in a while. Sit down," Luna-Smith said.

Zavadsky is warning everyone to use caution while in the heat.

"We had 14 patients [Friday], 17 patients a day before. We're going to have more patients every day that we have these temperatures of 105-110 degrees. We just urge everybody to be careful," he said.

MedStar doesn’t want people to suffer dehydration or, in extreme cases, lose their lives because they didn’t follow precautions.