Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com
BETHESDA, Md. – Lots of water, shade and restricted activity are common ways to handle a heat wave.
But how about calling up a Ride On bus?
With the heat index expected to reach 110 degrees on Friday, emergency responders at the AT&T National golf tournament are adding personnel and a bus.
“We’re going to staff it with a doctor and several paramedics,” says James Seavey, the operations chief this week at Congressional Country Club.
“The purpose of the Ride On bus is to provide seating space and cooling for people who need actual IV therapy and rehydration,” he says.
During Thursday’s opening round, Seavey says medical workers responded to about 60 calls for service. Eighty percent of those were related to the heat and dehydration.
Four people were transported to the hospital.
But the temperatures Friday through the weekend will be hotter still, with humidity levels also rising.
“We’re faced with temperatures and heat indexes that we do not normally plan for, so we started ramping up when we saw the forecast,” he says.
By Friday, nearly 60 responders will be at the golf course, along with additional transport vehicles and life support capabilities.
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