Roofers keep busy, stay cool in extreme heat

HATBORO (WPVI) -- People whose jobs require them to be outside are really feeling the heat Friday.

If you thought your jobs was tough, try roofing in extreme heat!

"This is probably one of the toughest jobs. Road workers maybe but being up there you have no shade. It is all sound and it is just beating down on you," said Gary Selleck from C&C Family Roofing and Siding.

These workers with C&C Family Roofing and Siding say when the heat is on, they are on the job. While many try to avoid going outside during the oppressive days of summer, their livelihood depends on it.

"We are out, we are doing roofing. If somebody has a leak in their roof, then we are here to fix it. We can't say it is too hot! Everybody has to eat and everybody has families," said Selleck.

Like other outdoor workers, roofers also have a similar recipe to try and stay in cool in the sizzling heat.

"We use a lot of water. We start early and finish early," said worker Chris Carransa.

"Hydrated, hydrated, hydrated. A lot of times you are working and you are so into the job that you don't realize you are getting so hot," said Selleck.

Selleck says there have been times when workers have been overcome by the heat and have had to stop working.

This week, the heat index has made it feel like it's 100 degrees, but up on a roof, the temperature gets much hotter.

"We had a gun one time and we took the temperature of the roof and it was over 150 degrees up there with the shingles and black tart and being so close to the sun," said Selleck.

They all admit the heat is relentless and they're no match for the sun's aggressive warmth, but it's what they do and they've learned to cope.

"Unless it is snowing or raining where we can't do it, we tarp the roof but in the heat or cold we are out there. It's is never too hot or cold," said Selleck.