ROANOKE CO., Va. – In this summer heat, just walking to a car can feel like a workout. But imagine doing that with 70 pounds of gear—then running into a burning building.
It’s a job that doesn’t slow down—no matter how extreme the weather.
Whitney Kirker, a firefighter and EMT for Roanoke County Fire and Rescue, said, “Heavy … the gear that we have is extremely heavy. It’s extremely hot.”
When heat indexes rise into the triple digits, firefighters say preparation starts long before the alarm ever goes off.
Brian Clingenpeel, community outreach coordinator for Roanoke County Fire & Rescue, emphasized the importance of hydration. “Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. That gets pounded into our rookies during their recruit school experience.”
With the heat this intense, the focus isn’t just on fighting fires—it’s also on protecting the firefighters.
“But then we have other crews that can rotate in, and we are certainly mindful of that in this heat,” Clingenpeel added.
Their gear protects them, but it also intensifies the heat even before running into fires that can exceed 400 degrees. Firefighters say the gear, especially the air tank, is a lifeline.
Kirker explained, “So that’s your pass alarm—if you go that long without moving, you’ll hear this sound. The second I move, it stops.” He added, “That’s for more of a downed firefighter. Especially in really extreme heat conditions, dehydration, heat stroke, all of those things can happen. If, for whatever reason, you have a down firefighter that doesn’t move, that alarm is going to sound.”
And while the gear and conditions can be brutal, for most firefighters, the mission is bigger than the heat.
“Air conditioning is nice, but I think anyone that does a job like this… they do it because they feel a need for a greater purpose,” Kirker said.
When the alarms sound, that purpose takes over. “If the tones were to go off right now, I’m not really focused on the temperature outside,” Kirker concluded.