It’s tough to get a firm count of the number of times local paramedics will respond to heat-related emergencies. Many people suffering from the heat get classified by the underlying health issue, like chest pains or difficulty breathing.

“With most calls that we get, they’re going to be funneled into other categories,” says Paramedic Jace Drake of Buchanan County E.M.S.

“They exacerbate other underlying medical issues, so they could call in for a heat-related complaint, but it could end up being a “shortness of breath” or “chest pain” or something like that, and so we keep track of those.”

At least one call regarding a possible “heat stroke” was dispatched Tuesday, and as summer gets underway, Drake expects to see an increase in the number of heat-related calls, regardless of how they wind up being classified.

“Within the last week or so there’s been about three or four heat-related calls, and by the end of summer we’ll see 30 or 35.”