Thousands of people in Connecticut don’t have the choice but to work outside, even as temperatures approach triple digits.
It’s not hard to find them.
Along the Long Island Sound in New Haven, food trucks line the road adjacent to Interstate 91, and the heat inside those trucks on a warm day is already tough to bear.
“It’s 89 to 90 in here,” said Jose Santos, who was working inside the Tacos Mexico! truck.
He said he expects the temperature inside the truck to climb to 120 degrees by the time Saturday afternoon arrives. He said the truck will be incredibly uncomfortable if that happens.
“We need to be careful,” Santos said. “What we’ll do is wet some towels, put in the freezer and put it on your head and continue, still working.”
In Cromwell, firefighters were outside their fire house on Friday afternoon, and they were using a hydrant, but it wasn’t to spray water on a blaze.
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Instead, in the blazing heat, they were raining water upon a group of about a hundred children at a day camp.
“Honestly, when I was younger, I wished the firefighters came out and laid out the hose,” said Frank Marotta, who was manning the hose, making sure the most kids had the chance to get some relief from the sun. “Nothing better to cool off with, you know?”
Those firefighters used this interaction with the kids as a way to make sure they know what to do avoid heat related illnesses.
“Getting overheated in the summer is one of the worst things that could happen. Especially with younger kids and smaller bodies. They can’t handle much exertion, getting them cool, telling them to keep hydrated, running around, I mean I’m getting hot just doing it,” he said.
