Fort Bragg, Sandhills combat the withering heat

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The sizzling heat has the Sandhills on alert. That extreme heat isn't just a concern for summer camps and social service departments, it's also a problem for our soldiers at Fort Bragg.

On any given day, it's normal to see hundreds of troops doing physical and mission training on Fort Bragg. But scorching temperatures can make for deadly training conditions.

That's where Specialist Georgio Yancy and his team come in.

Every day, they're tasked with measuring the weather conditions to determine how hard units on post can train. They use a weather bulb globe thermometer.

"We monitor it, we take the temperature and heat index. We shoot it up, calculate it and notify the post and the range. So that they will know whether were in category 1,2,3,4 or 5? Five is the worst. And with five they have to work for 10 minutes and rest for 50 minutes," Yancy said.

Over at Westover Aquatic Center, their break cycles are similar.

Every 45 minutes they order lifeguards and swimmers out of the pool and to the deck to cool off.

"Dehydration, you don't necessarily feel it right away. Heat exhaustion comes very fast because even though you're in the water, you need to make sure you get out not only when you feel thirsty but before you do," said Audra Williams, the Aquatic Director. "One of our lifeguards got very hot and she collapsed on deck."

Heat exhaustion is something even the most seasoned outdoor workers deal with.

"One of our guys got a little hot and he started getting sick to the stomach so we let him get in the AC and get cooled off," said Norman Adkins, a construction worker.

Like lifeguards, frequent breaks and plenty of water are all in a day's work.

"They can get water anytime they want it and we go through a lot of water," Adkins chuckled.