The official start of summer is in late June, but the Rio Grande Valley has already seen 14 heat advisories in the last few days. 

While many can avoid the heat and staying indoors where there's air conditioning, city workers are outside in the sun for hours.

For nine years, Juan Vega has been braving the heat working for the city of Mercedes’ public works street team.

“It’s been pretty hot lately, hotter than most years in the past,” Vega said.

Although there's work to be done every day on the streets of Mercedes, assistant city manager Javier Ramirez says they’re prioritizing the health and wellness of their workers.

The city recently purchased coolers, so each work truck can be stocked with cold water and electrolyte drinks.

“They keep the city going,” Ramirez said of the city workers. “They clean our storm drains, they make sure our roads are safe, they make sure our properties are kept up, and our parks are good to go for events — so it's important we take care of them and look out for them.”

City workers were trained to spot the symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.  

Their days also now start at 7 a.m., an hour earlier than normal, so the workers can take advantage of the slightly cooler morning temperatures.

Vega says although there haven't been any heat related illnesses this year so far, he stays on top of his workers to prevent any accidents. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people can quickly cool down their body temperature by:

- Circulating the air around them
- Placing cold wet cloths or ice on the head, neck and armpits
- Drinking plenty of water
- Wearing light, breathable clothing
- Staying in the shade
- Taking breaks
- Taking cool showers

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