On Thursday, the Saskatoon Fire Department was busy practising water rescue drills on the South Saskatchewan River.
Close by on shore, sunbathers were enjoying Saskatoon’s sand bar.
READ MORE: Saskatoon weather outlook: 30 degree temps with a heat wave move in
“If there is an incident on the river where somebody is in trouble, that’s what we’re here for,” said Wayne Rodger, the assistant chief with the fire department.
Highs are expected in the 30’s until the end of the weekend, making the river a hot spot in Saskatoon. Swimming in the South Saskatchewan River within city limits is against the city’s bylaw.
“The currents that flow through the river, they’re unpredictable as to how they affect the bottom. A lot of the sand and silt is really quite unstable,” Rodger said.
MD Ambulance is also gearing up for the warm temperatures.
“We do see a lot of heat exhaustion, heat stroke type calls that we deal with. This week I guarantee we’re going to see those calls coming in,” Troy Davies, a MD Ambulance spokesperson, said.
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MD Ambulance reminds the public to drink lots of fluids, and avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they speed up the dehydration process.
As well, watch for early signs of heat exhaustion, red skin, profuse sweating, nausea and vomiting.
“You’re enjoying the heat and enjoying the weather, and you’re not taking that time and you’re getting sunburns,” Davies said.
“Sunburns basically block your body to sweat once it sets in. It can be pretty dangerous if you don’t take care of it.”
Children and seniors are also more susceptible to the heat.
“Seniors have a lot of underlying illnesses, where they might have medications that kind of stop the cooling down process in their body.”
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