PORT ALLEN - It's only the beginning of a long, hot summer and the heat is already taking a toll on first responders. In West Baton Rouge, multiple firefighters were treated for heat-related injuries after battling a house fire. 

As temperatures climb, fire departments across south Louisiana are stepping up safety precautions.

“Rotating firefighters in and out is the only way to do it. And I'm telling you, 15 to 20 minutes in a burning building in this heat and that gear, that's about all most people can stand. It was a tough, tough situation,” Chief of WBR EMS Mike Chustz said. 

Saturday, six firefighters had to be treated after suffering heat-related injuries while fighting a house fire in Brusly. Outside, it was hot. Inside, unbearable.

“It was bad timing to have a fire in South Louisiana in the summer. I wish we could control that. Obviously, we cannot,” Chustz said. “When these guys came out and we took the coats off of them, just touching their skin, they were burning up. It was alarming just to see what was going to happen,” Chustz said.  

Fire turnout gear can weigh up to 75 pounds, and it's designed to trap heat. In full gear, temperatures inside can spike above 150 degrees.

“Just the heat that you generate from the inside of it upon all the exertion that it takes ... it just adds up to the whole package that you deal with,” Chustz said. 

To lower the risk of heat-related injuries, departments stock their trucks with ice-cold water so firefighters rehydrate immediately after coming out of the heat.

“You still can get overwhelmed. If you're in good shape and you've been hydrated prior to that situation, danger still exists, and it's a tremendous amount of danger,” Chustz said.