Kern County doctor shares tips on staying safe amid rising temperatures

Spring is in full force in Bakersfield, and so is the powerful sun.

Here are some tips to keep you safe in the sun, and even safer in the water.

The temperature is expected to reach triple digits on Saturday, and one emergency room doctor is prepared for the worst.

“Whether they’re exercising or working outdoors, we’re definitely gonna see some people affected with the heat,” said Kian Azimian, an emergency room doctor at Mercy Hospital.

Azimian has been an ER doctor for two decades. He says heat related illness is a spectrum.

It’s starts with a rapid heart beat, cramping, feeling fatigue, and feeling nauseous to suffering heat stroke.

“Their core temperature goes up, and they have the loss of the ability to sweat, and they’re really, really ill,” said Azimian. “By that point, the risk of death is very high.”

If someone has heat stroke, call 9-1-1, and cool them off before paramedics arrive.

“Getting them ice packs in their groin, in their armpits,” said Azimian. “You know, or cooling them off with a fan, and spraying them down.”

Every year when the heat climbs into the danger level, people die in the Killer Kern.

“The Kern River is known for very fast currents. You might not be able to see those currents from the surface, but when you get in underneath, the water is moving very rapidly,” said Matthew Patrick, of Bakersfield Fire Department Station 1. “It could sweep you away at any moment.”

Patrick fights fires and specializes in swift water rescue.

He’s giving you the 101 on water safety.

“Definitely, always wearing a life jacket. Try to refrain from alcohol, or other mind altering substances while around the river, and also just keep track of your children,” said Patrick.

If someone gets into trouble in the water, Patrick says to call 9-1-1 with the exact location because seconds save lives, and so does CPR.

“We’re not doing rescue breaths anymore,” said Patrick. “So, if you are doing CPR on someone, doing just hand only compressions is a great thing. Try for a hundred beats per minute.”

Finally, Patrick wants you to pay attention to the signs. Especially, the one that shows the Kern River death toll.

“That sign’s been out there since 1968. So, we’ve had 335 deaths since 1968 in the river,” said Patrick. “So, the Bakersfield Fire Department, the best advice we can give you is, stay out, and stay alive.”