BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — In the midst of this week’s dangerous heat, with the sun beating down, Baltimore County DPW workers still have to get the job done.
“We’re not awarded that luxury just to stop,” said Crew Chief Marcus Rose.
Crew chiefs Rose and Eric Young maintain and repair sewer lines and drains throughout the county.
WATCH: Baltimore County DPW workers battle extreme heat to keep essential services running
A normal workday can last 10 hours or stretch into multiple days until a job is finished.
The work is already difficult, but the dangerous heat wave sweeping through the area makes it even tougher.
“When we’re working underground — and I’ve been as far as 23 or 24 feet down — there is no breeze. The trench boxes are made out of metal, some aluminum and some steel, and the heat just radiates off of it,” Young said.
And the humidity doesn’t help.
“It zaps your energy. You sweat out all the water you have in your body, so you have to make sure you stay hydrated.”
The workers are well aware of the precautions they need to take before their day takes a dangerous turn.
“They give us water, they give us coolers with ice. They have cooling stations around the county at highway yards and various locations that we can go into,” Rose told WMAR-2 News.
They also follow a protocol requiring workers to sit in their trucks for 15 minutes every hour to cool down during extreme temperatures.
Young said the system helps him cool off while working.
“Keeping the trucks running while we’re out on the job keeps it cool inside, so in case there is an emergency with someone, they have a cool place to go.”
This weeklong stretch of heat isn’t the first time they’ve had to safely respond to extreme temperatures. Rose reflected on the beginning of the summer.
“We worked probably 12 hours that day. But in the middle of that, we pulled our tents out to provide some shade. We pulled out a fan to cool us down and worked through it.”
They advise anyone who has to work outside or spend time in the heat to stay out of direct sunlight for as long as possible and to always stay hydrated.
Meta description: Baltimore County DPW workers are pushing through dangerous heat to repair sewer lines and drains while following strict safety precautions to stay cool and hydrated.
