VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A hot and steamy day brought lots of people out to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Many sat under their umbrellas and took a dip in the ocean to cool off.
But what about the people who work outside? DaShawn Charity stands on the Virginia Beach boardwalk cooking for people who need a bite to eat.
“It’s a fun job,” Charity said. “I’m here listening to music, chilling on the beach. I’m meeting people every day. If you’re not having fun, you're not doing it right.”
He’s worked at this spot for the past four summers and said the heat doesn’t bother him.
“I may grab some ice and put on my wrist, put it on my head and cool down a little bit and grab something to drink,” Charity explained.
He said vacationers ask him all the time how does he do this job because they couldn’t imagine working eight hours in the heat.
“I am not staying cool, I have to go in stores and shop so I can stay cool and stay in the air conditioning,” a vacationer from New York said.
Madison Whitney is an Oceanfront lifeguard and she said the high temperatures can be dangerous if you’re not prepared. Over the past couple of days, beach officials said they’ve seen an increase in heat-related emergencies.
“If someone comes up to us with a heat illness, we put them in shade, we grab a towel and dunk it in the ocean and put it around their shoulders and we get our supervisors to provide extra care," Whitney said.
Whitney said people need to drink plenty of water or electrolytes, lather up on sunscreen and stay in the shade. She said if you’re feeling lightheaded, get out of the sun immediately.
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