LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s the last days of summer and a new report shows in the next three decades, Americans may see more heat waves. 

What You Need To Know

  • In Kentucky, 47% of homes will experience major heat risks, meaning temperatures ranging from 96 to 110 Fahrenheit degrees

  • First Street Foundation created an online tool called Risk Factor.

  • It’s where you can put in your zip code and the site will generate risk levels of heat, fire, and flood in your area

  • The Louisville Fire Department has procedures in place to manage extreme climate conditions

In Kentucky, 47% of homes will experience major heat risks, meaning temperatures ranging from 96 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Major Bobby Cooper is with the Louisville Fire Department. He has 18 years of experience in with dealing all sorts of climates.

“No matter how many years you’ve had on,” Cooper said. “One of the very first things that you learned in the fire academy is that temporary discomforts and hardships caused by emergency work have to be endured to preserve property and to save lives.” 

The department takes steps to keep firefighters safe in the summer to endure the heat, Cooper said. This includes bringing a modified ambulance called a “Rehab Unit” to scenes filled with essentials like water, Gatorade and more.

“We’ll also rotate them through more often, so we’ll call more firefighters to the scene and we’ll rotate them through on the work,” Cooper said. “We’ll check vitals. Part of the job of the Rehab Unit is to check the firefighter’s vitals, their blood pressure, their heart rate, making sure they’re healthy when they’re leaving that scene.”

The impact of hot temperatures and other climates on health is one of the reasons why a non-profit organization called the First Street Foundation released a report to empower communities.

“The primary finding is the development of this extreme heat belt that’s developing in the middle of the country, Western Kentucky being part of that area,” said Jeremy Porter, who’s the chief research officer.

In the next 30 years, there’s an upward trend in consecutive hot days.

“(In) Kentucky, the hottest areas are closer to about 108 degrees or so, and there’s an increase of about 20 days, so they’re going from the highest to the hottest three weeks into the future,” Porter said.

Those are hot temperatures that firefighters will have to persevere in order to serve their communities.

“The old adage of the temporary comforts and hardships have to be endured for preservation of property and of life is something that we learn pretty early on and is reinforced throughout our career,” Cooper said.

The nonprofit also created an online tool called Risk Factor. It’s where you can put in your zip code and the site will generate risk levels of heat, fire and flood in your area. 

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