KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was no way to beat the heat for Kansas City Chiefs fans on Thursday night. The Chiefs took on the Green Bay Packers, but it was the soaring temperatures and blazing sun that had emergency crews ready for a busy night.
“It’s pretty hot,” four-year-old Chiefs Fan Jasmine Hester said as she wiped sweat off her forehead.
The mercury rose near the triple digits as Chiefs fans poured into on Arrowhead Stadium. Fans like Hester were sure to keep a healthy supply of water nearby.
While the liquids were plentiful — the clear choice, like well-prepared Hester carried, wasn’t always the first option.
“We are cooking out, having a good time, having a few frosty ones,” Chiefs fan Michael Williams said. “This is normal, August, Chiefs preseason.”
It’s the combination of heat, drinks and the game day atmosphere that keeps nine teams of Kansas City fire EMT’s and paramedic’s on their feet.
“They like to tailgate, they like to party before a game, so they are eating a lot which increases your metabolism, increases heat. You also lose a lot of water that way so you have to add that into it,” said Michael Latta, the Division Chief for KCFD’s Medical Bureau.
Emergency crews expected to treat double the number of fans for heat
“They’ve over exerted themselves and they just get really hot. We get them into one of the first aid stations, we cool them down and that really turns them around quick,” Latta added.
But fans said, its football season — and they’ll brave anything to support their local team. Emergency crews said this is actually the start of a very long weekend – Friday begins Irish Fest and the kickoff of Labor Day weekend. So make sure to drink plenty of water because relief is not around the corner.
