EMS prepared for summer heat

The trails and lakes around Austin are rarely empty. Whether it be joggers, bikers, or pets, everyone is out enjoying the Austin summer. But that can come at a cost.

"As a population at large, Austin is a very fit city. It's a fit and very active area so we have a lot of people who get outdoors. But the risk for hyperthermia or over-heating is much greater this time of year and sometimes it is those people who get surprised and they get caught not ready for that and overheated," Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Rick Rutledge said.

Captain Rutledge said this is the time of year when heat-related calls start to spike.

"It starts out with a trickle. You'll get one or two calls a week and then all of a sudden it's five or six and after a while we are getting multiple a day," he said.

Although the heat has not stopped some people from getting in their afternoon workouts, runners like Louis Rodgers are adapting to the Texas summer.

"I've got to stop more for water. It is a good idea to do that. You don't want to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke or anything like that. (The heat) really makes you pay attention to your body," Rodgers said.

It's that type of attitude and attention to detail that Captain Rutledge said can keep you safe, as well as following a couple of simple steps.

"The main thing is keeping fluids and the best way to do that and the easiest way to do that is to keep sipping fluids throughout the day. You should be drinking some water at least every hour." Captain Rutledge said, "If you have to exercise hard outside, do it early in the morning or very late in the evening, right before it is too dark to do it so you don't get cooked by this heat."