18 animals, 12 people rescued from hot cars last week: Edmonton fire

EDMONTON -

As Edmontonians do what they can to stay cool during this week's heat wave, the city's emergency responders are seeing a spike in heat-related calls.

According to AHS spokesperson Kerry Williamson, since June 20, paramedics in the Edmonton Zone have responded to 29 heat-related calls.

That's compared to zero heat-related calls from June 1 to June 19.

Williamson told CTV News Edmonton there have also been a couple of heat-related visits to emergency rooms in the Edmonton Zone.

HOT VEHICLES

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has also seen a spike in heat-related calls.

Over the past week, EFRS received nearly as many calls for a person or animal locked in a vehicle as it did for the first three weeks of June.

According to EFRS spokesperson Brittany Lewchuk, last week rescue crews responded to 30 incidents of people or animals locked in a vehicle.

Eighteen of those were for animals, 12 were for people.

Lewchuk told CTV News Edmonton EFRS responded to 40 such events from June 1 to June 19.

"Edmontonians can help assist emergency responders by first assessing any situation they may come across to determine if the animal or human is in distress," Lewchuk said in a written statement. "Signs of distress for animals include excessive panting or drooling, loss of bowel control, non-responsiveness, tired or lethargic behaviour, a dark pink or purple tongue, and frantic attempts to escape the vehicle."

With temperatures still expected to climb over the next few days, Lewchuk recommends calling 911 immediately if you encounter an animal exhibiting those symptoms while locked in a vehicle.