CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The heat wave that's hit the Carolinas is dangerous for everyone, but especially children.
"Children have a reduced threshold to heat and temperature," Andrew Smith, Medic operations supervisor told NBC Charlotte. "Their body heat can actually rise 3-5 times faster than an adults can, so by the time that an adult realizes they are feeling hot, it may be further along for a child."
At Freedom Park on Tuesday, NBC Charlotte's temperature gauge read more than 150 degrees on some slides and monkey bars. That's too hot for children to play.
"I would tell parents watch your kids closely when you take them out into a new environment," Dr. Christopher Griggs said. "If they haven't been outside during those hot hours, and they've been in a classroom where they have A/C, they may get ill fast."
If the heat gets to your children, get them into the shade or air conditioning. They should drink lots of water and try to cool body temperature.
"If you become very confused, that's when you need to go see a doctor," Dr. Griggs said.
Dr. Griggs added when the power goes out, the elderly can suffer quickly from the heat and end up in the E.R.
About 1,700 people across the Carolinas were without power Tuesday. Not only can downed trees and storms cause an outage, but equipment can wear out after prolonged stress due to extreme temperatures.
Paige Layne with Duke Energy gave NBC Charlotte some tips to make sure you don't have an issue with your A/C.
"When it is this hot, one of the key things to do is bump the thermostat closer to the temperature outside, even if you set it and leave it. The further the temp goes up outside, the more energy you're using," said Layne.
Another big-time energy users are the oven and dryer. They are also heat producers, so it's best to use both at the cooler times in the day -- early in the morning or at night.