KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Temperatures rose to record highs on July 4 in East Tennessee. At the same time, a crowd of thousands gathered in World's Fair Park for Knoxville's annual Festival on the 4th celebration.
Leaders and emergency workers feared that many would need to be taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses during the celebration. However, the Knoxville Fire Department said by 10 p.m. no people had to be taken to the hospital for heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
Access to water, shade and venturing outside later in the day could all help bring that number down. Knoxville firefighters also said after getting experience with large crowds on hot days during the College World Series celebration, they were ready to prevent heat-related injuries on Thursday.
"By us actually being on scene with equipment, we're able to respond as fast as possible," said Tim Woods, Health and Safety officer for KFD. "Dehydration is serious. I mean, it's going to affect your brain, it's going to affect your organs. So, it's very important to notice early."
The Knoxville Fire Department said six people had to be taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses or injuries during the College World Series celebration.
"I don't know that we were as prepared because of the sheer size of the parade. But we do take experiences like that and say, 'Hey, we had rather over-staff than under-staff,'" said Woods. "We upped the number of crews, we have AMR on standby. We actually have a cooling trailer, we have a cooling station that the city of Knoxville Convention Center opened up to us. So, we took the things that we did learn and we tried to put them into practice."
Some visitors at World's Fair Park on Thursday also said their experiences during the College World Series celebration served as an example of how to stay safe.
"We were down at the parade celebrating the Vols' world championship in college baseball, and we saw a couple people pass out. So, make sure you're drinking your water," said John-Mark.