Oklahoma Temps Causes Concern As Hospitals See Rise In Heat-Related Illnesses

Tulsa hospitals are seeing dozens of patients every day who are suffering from heat-related illnesses.

Most everyone knows you need to drink a lot of water and stay hydrated.

But you also have to beware of hot surfaces like pavement or accidentally touching a hot car.

There are hidden dangers of the high temperatures we're seeing.

Kids are trying to keep cool while playing in the intense heat.

"A huge bag of items here that I feel are necessary,” mom Trina McReynelds said.

McReynelds packed water and sunscreen, but the high temperatures cut her kids’ playtime short.

“We couldn't  go to the park because the swings were so hot and it wasn't even afternoon yet,” she said.

Paramedic Joe Ringer says even the smallest things on the playground could be dangerous. 

“Even some of the wooden playground equipment, which doesn't absorb much heat, but there is still nuts and bolts that hold all that together,” Ringer said.

The cement on Thursday afternoon easily was over 100 degrees.

Ringer says he's seen kids burn their feet walking back and forth from the splash pad or pool to cement that isn't wet.

“It doesn't take more than just a few minutes, and the next thing you know, they have serious burns to their feet," Ringer said.

A few weeks ago, water from a water hose severely burned a toddler in Arizona.

"It's scary how hot the water gets in the hose,” McReynelds said.

Paramedics say the water gets close to boiling. It's something McReynelds worries about.

“We actually have a black water hose hooked up to our faucet and I have to run that hose for a good 1 to 2 minutes before the water will cool. Once I feel it, they can play.