{"id":416238,"date":"2026-07-29T05:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T05:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/416238\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T05:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T05:53:10","slug":"bakersfield-officials-warn-residents-to-plan-now-as-extreme-heat-rises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/416238\/","title":{"rendered":"Bakersfield officials warn residents to plan now as extreme heat rises"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 As temperatures climb, local health and safety officials are urging residents to plan ahead for extreme heat, especially for children and older adults who face higher risks.<\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – Triple digit heat heading to the Valley this week (Photo: AdobeStock)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou definitely want to have a plan ahead of the heat,\u201d said Dr. Kenyatta Evans with Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n

Evans said extreme heat can create extra risks for vulnerable groups, including children and older adults. \u201cIt\u2019s because they heat up a lot more quickly than the rest of us do, and they don\u2019t necessarily recognize the fact that they\u2019re heating up so quickly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Evans said signs of heat-related illness can include dry lips, slowing down, fatigue and needing more breaks. More serious symptoms include confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and changes in behaviors. \u201cThose are reasons to get to your emergency department right away,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n

\"File:<\/p>\n

File: A construction worker hydrates at the Shedd Aquarium Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo\/Charles Rex Arbogast)<\/p>\n

Evans also recommends keeping water nearby during extreme heat. Officials said it can also help to keep other essentials ready in an emergency go-bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you someone that needs to have eye glasses, making sure you have a spare pair there? Are there medications that you take? You would also want to keep some of that \u2014 a reserve of that in your go bag as well in addition to maybe a small amount of cash and copies of important documents,\u201d said Andrew Freeborn with the Kern County Fire Department.<\/p>\n

Freeborn also encouraged homeowners to take steps to protect their property during hot temperatures and dry conditions. \u201cBy creating defensible space, it minimizes the chances of a fire actually occurring on the property,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Creating defensible space includes removing vegetation and other materials that could start a fire or help it spread to a home.<\/p>\n

\"Thermostat<\/p>\n

Thermostat in air conditioning mode (WLUK\/Scott Hurley)<\/p>\n

Preparing a home for heat can also make a difference. PG&E said one way to keep a home cooler is to use the cooler parts of the day to your advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen your windows in the early morning when it\u2019s cooler, then close your windows, blinds and drapes as temperatures rise to keep that cool air inside for as long as possible before having to run your AC,\u201d said Jeff Smith with PG&E.<\/p>\n

When using air conditioning, Smith recommends setting the thermostat to 78 degrees when home and 85 degrees when away for two or more hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 As temperatures climb, local health and safety officials are urging residents to plan ahead for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-416238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}