Ricky Francis puts out spot fires with his garden hose during the heatwave last week.
By Lia Bichel
SCORCHING temperatures kept Ambulance Victoria busy last week as paramedics responded to eight heat related cases in the City of Casey.
In just a two-day period, Ambulance Victoria was called to 360 heat related incidents across the state.
One of the cases occurred on 28 January, when paramedics were called to help a 77-year-old man from Narre Warren who had been sunbaking for two hours. They found him slumped over, unable to get up. He was very hot, nauseous, and taken to the Casey hospital for treatment.
Paramedics were also called to a Cranbourne home and found a 66-year-old woman who was feeling sick from the heat. Her son had cooled her with wet towels and sat her in front of a fan. Paramedics offered reassurance, and advised her to keep her fluids up.
Operations Manager Paul Holman said it was also important that older, sick and frail people who needed help coping with the heat were properly cared for.
“People most at risk are people over 65 years, particularly those living alone without air-conditioning, infants, pregnant women and nursing mothers, people who are unwell, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure and people on medications for mental illness,” he said.
Ambulance Victoria Chief Executive Officer Greg Sassella also warned people to take proper safety precautions in the heat.
“The reality is that this is a very extreme situation and people need to realise the consequences can be very serious,”he said.
“We need the community to play their part; we need them to continue to respect the heat and not exert themselves.”
