DAVENPORT, Iowa – With the Quad City Air Show come and gone, most people will remember this year’s event for its sweat dripping heat.
People were able to see jets travel the heights high in the hot summer sky, but on the ground was a different story.
Gabriel Bruhl and his family staked the afternoon out under an aircraft thanks to its shade.
“We were walking around, got food, and saw this spot here – ran back and got the chairs to come back here,” Bruhl explains the process.
Kayla Fuller, along with her husband and two toddler sons, braved the heat and were looking for anything ice cold. They stopped at the shave iced stand for that reason.
“It’s been so hot,” comments Fuller. “We’ve been in the pool, we’ve been here, and we decided to get some of the shaved ices.”
This year at the show, heat indexes reached a high of 106 degrees. Those temperatures kept medics on their feet as they responded to about 30 calls on Saturday alone.
“I’ve done a few air shows in the past and that’s probably the most EMS calls we’ve had,” says Crystal Eakins, a paramedic at the event.
And it’s not only the elderly, it’s all ages who are affected by the heat, even down to toddlers.
“We do a lot of calls and it’s very rewarding, but on a weekend like this it really shows you that you are really here to help,” Eakins explains.
And people have bee helping themselves to whatever will keep them cool – cold towels, chilled drinks, etc.
“Sugar and ice – that is the secret,” Fuller comments.
With summer lifting off, this may not be the only time we are fighting the high temperatures.
Paramedics at the show say preparing for events like these starts the night before with pre-hydration. At the event make sure to sit in the shade and keep drinking water.