Last week’s heat wave drove many people indoors to air-conditioned environments.
It pushed electric grids to capacity, drove water use to near-record levels and scrambled emergency services as workers tended to the heat-exhausted elderly and, in some instances, themselves.
Colonie’s public services and crews were worked to the breaking point last week as the heat index registered as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit. From water and sewer infrastructure, to emergency service, the heat took its toll. Some fared better than others.
When it gets this hot, it gets busier and busier. Every after-noon the calls spike during the hottest hours of the day, from noon to 8 p.m., said Jon Politis, chief of Colonie’s emergency medical services. `It’s been very difficult for the elderly. It puts such a strain on their cardiovascular and respiratory systems.` Those systems become stressed and overworked, said Politis.
Be it cardiovascular or town water systems, the impact of high temperatures can be far-reaching.
Improvements to the town’s water system over the years have prepared it for the dog days of summer. However, that’s not to say the systems aren’t feeling the pinch.
`Our flows are moving up. We are pumping at a rate of 20 million gallons per day. The average is 10.7 million per day,` said John Frazer, superintendent of the Department of Public Works Division of Latham Water last Wednesday.
Upgrades have pushed plant capacity to as much as 30 million gallons per day. Because of that, the town has not had to impose water restrictions since 2004. In total, five pumps ranging from 400-horse power and lower are screaming to meet the demand and pump treated water to the system’s 11 elevated storage tanks. The demand is mainly due to irrigation, and sometimes it can claim a pump or two.
Although pumps usually give telltale signs of faltering before seizing up, if alarms go off, the effect on the system is the same. The pump either quits or is shut down for maintenance. Either way it’s offline and not providing potable water and water for fire protection to 76,000 town residents.
In as little as 24 hours after a moderate afternoon rainstorm, water demand drops. The system could cut back as much as 5 million gallons per day in that time frame.
Water crews tend to miles of water lines strewn throughout the town and are warned of the dangers of working in high temp-eratures. Despite extreme heat or high water, Latham water crews typically spend five days a week in the field, said Frazer.
It’s constant work to keep the water pumping, especially on hot days, and who knows who will need it. The same system that fills the town’s pool and pumps water to dehydrated residents is the same that courses through the miles of hose carried by anyone of the town’s 12 fire departments. Although the water is there to put out fires, the heat still manages to prey on town volunteers.
`Firefighting gear, when we put it on out in the sun, adds 25 degrees to the heat index. On a day like today (Wednesday, Aug. 2) with a heat index of 107, you are at 132 degrees before you hit the fire,` said Jerry Paris, a deputy fire coordinator for the town of Colonie.
When temperatures reach as high as they did last week, standing orders go out to volunteer firefighters to stay hydrated throughout the day. However, despite their best efforts, the heat sometimes wins in the end.
Two weeks ago, crews battled a blaze in West Albany for more than two hours. By the time the flames were squelched, two volunteers had to be treated for exhaustion; one was sent to the hospital.
Extreme temperatures put a stress on the entire staff of town firefighters. Responding to fires requires more crews, which rotate on orders from their chiefs. They battle the blaze in shifts of no more than 25 minutes. Then it’s off to air-conditioned trucks, commissioned buses or neighboring homeowners willing to take them in.
Firefighters can succumb to the same ailments so many elderly do in extreme temperatures, including heat stroke.
Last week’s heat also closed the Saratoga Race Course, and it forced Colonie town officials to cancel an outdoor concert. In an effort to provide relief from the soaring temperatures, the town’s pool remained opened until 8:30 p.m.“
