PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Jerry Frye said he typically works 10-hour days in the sun.
"If I started in the morning, before I went as long as eight in the morning to maybe six in the evening," he said.
Frye said he closely monitors his employees, so they don't fall out.
"Absolutely, my workers they would have to take more breaks, drink a lot more water," he said. "So, instead of buying a half case of water, I'm buying like two cases just to have plenty of water on hand."
Frye isn't the only one feeling the effects of this dangerous heat.
According to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, they saw the number of heat-related emergency calls more than double in July compared to one year ago. In just one-month, crews rushed to 73 heat emergencies.
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"It's something that we trained for," Captain Thomas Reyes said. "We've actually increased and changed some of our protocols with it. It's not something we want to see, but it's something we're ready for."
Reyes said changing protocols meant looking at the science.
"The definition of a heat stroke is a temperature over 103, with an altered mental status, or low blood pressure, seizures. Those patients we need to aggressively cool," he said. "The heat is the problem. So, what we've changed in that case is that we're going to cool first and transport second."
Reyes said heat-related calls aren't just coming in from the elderly or young, but for folks like Frye who spend most of their day in the blazing sun.
A danger Frye is all too familiar with.
"Years back I had an episode of heat stroke and know what those feelings are like," he said.
