The heat is on — and we’re on the street
By Susan Demar Lafferty slafferty@southtownstar.com July 18, 2011 10:34AM
James Reid, of R.D. Masonry, drinks water from a cooler while working in the high temperatures with construction crews at Homewood-Flossmoor High School on Monday, July 18, 2011. | Brett Roseman ~ Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 23, 2012 3:07AM
Water. Water. And more water. That is the key to surviving this week’s oppressive heat, according to those who make a living working outdoors.
And the worst is yet to come, so drink up. The Southland had temps in the 90s Sunday and Monday, but it could dip into the 80s Tuesday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Castro.
Technically, three consecutive days of temperatures in the 90s constitutes a heat wave, he said. So Tuesday might offer the slightest reprieve — if only a degree or two.
The hottest day is expected to be Thursday, he said, when the heat index could hit 105, and temps are expected to be in the 90s Wednesday through Saturday, Castro said.
Regardless if it is 88 or 90, with the high humidity, “it’s still uncomfortable,” Castro said.
“But your body really can’t tell the difference,” he said. “Heat has a cumulative effect on the body.”
Which is perhaps why all those workers we found outside Monday said they are used to it. And all have their own ways of coping.
Mark Allen
Mark Allen watches the weather every night.
“I have to be prepared,” he said, as he stopped for a drink after preparing a vault for burial at Tinley Park Memorial Cemetery at 171st Street and 84th Avenue. “This might be the hottest week for me.”
The Calumet City resident, employed by American Wilbur Vault Corp., delivers, sets up and buries vaults.
He has a gallon of water and stock of Gatorade to rehydrate and keeps a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“That salt can burn your eyes,” Allen said.
Jeffrey Groff
People are like plants. They require lots of water, especially in the summer, said Jeffrey Groff, a grower and purchaser at Tedd’s Greenhouse in Tinley Park.
While his hanging baskets need a big drink twice a day, he drinks a lot all day long.
“Water is the best drink for people and plants,” he said.
Groff prefers to wear a hat and a long-sleeved T-shirt when working out in the sun. “It’s like your own personal shade,” he said.
“If you are outside all the time, the heat is not a big shock. But if you’re inside with air conditioning, it’s more of a shock on the body,” Groff said.
Doug Boehm
Homewood park Supt. Doug Boehm had just finished grilling 800 hot dogs Monday at Irwin Park for National Hot Dog Day.
The temperature over the grill — where he stood for about three hours — was “210 degrees Celsius,” according to his co-griller Dave Ward, who draped a wet cloth around his neck.
They went through countless bottles of water while serving the public a $1 lunch.
“I expected it to be worse, so it’s not too bad,” Boehm said. When he needed relief, he stood in the shade. And he reminded himself of the February blizzard.
Jay Mears
Jay Mears makes sure he hydrates the day before he goes out to stand in the sun with the road construction crew. He also carries water and Gatorade with him and tries to “eat right.”
“I couldn’t be doing a job like this if I didn’t like the heat,” Mears said, as he directed traffic along Francis Road in Mokena.
The hot asphalt he is standing near can reach 280 degrees, he said.
“I have really good work boots,” he said. “There’s not much you can do about the asphalt.”
And, yes, it is hot enough to cook on, Mears said. They’ve been known to cook a bratwurst on tin foil in about 20 minutes, he said.
Dominique Dorsey
On the job for less than 30 minutes, Dominique Dorsey said he was “burning up right now,” and needed to “liquefy” himself.
Dorsey was corralling shopping carts at the Super Target in Tinley Park Monday afternoon.
Hauling 25 carts at a time, he said he can break a sweat in no time. He’s allowed to carry water or Gatorade with him, and wear shorts and a baseball cap.
“They take care of us,” Dorsey said of his employer.
But he also finds air-conditioned relief as he goes back and forth between the store and the parking lot.
“I love it,” he said.
Jennah Colant
Even horses get hosed down at the end of their day, said Jennah Colant, manager at Nova Quarter Horses in Mokena. Kids enrolled at the summer horse camp were riding indoors in the arena on Monday — where it was shaded — which benefits both horse and rider, she said.
“It’s better than riding in the hot sun. Horses get sunburned, too,” Colant said. “And if it gets too hot in here, we turn off the lights.”
Campers were required to wear jeans and boots — no shorts allowed — but they were encouraged to take frequent breaks. And the horses always have two or three buckets of water in their stalls.
“We have to make sure the horses stay hydrated or they get sick,” Colant said.
Jose Avila
Jose Avila, of Chicago Heights, was dressed for the hot weather — a wide-brimmed straw hat, a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and a wet kerchief around his neck.
“It keeps me cool,” he said of his garb.
The lawn care crew he was working with in Olympia Fields — Utermark and Sons — also kept a cooler full of water, pop and Gatorade.
And even though they are busy this time of year, the crew doesn’t put in overtime on a day like this.
“In this weather, we only work 40 hours a week,” he said.
Fernandos Matthews
Fernandos Matthews was just heading out to the field with the Homewood-Flossmoor freshman football squad for an afternoon practice of running and doing calisthenics.
He was planning a practice as usual, but with “lots of breaks, and lots of water,” he said. A 55-gallon ice bucket was standing by — the “water horse” — so players could hydrate as needed.
“We keep a close eye on the guys, to make sure no one is passing out,” Matthews said.
The team practices for three hours,
“This is just a prelude to what happens during the season,” he said. “They play in all kinds of weather.”
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