BATON ROUGE - For the Fourth of July holiday, you'll catch families and friends at the pool, grilling and popping fireworks outside, but southeast Louisiana is hitting triple-digit temperatures and is in an excessive heat warning.

Brad Harris with Baton Rouge EMS says to take precautions when being outside too long. 

"People don't necessarily pay attention to the heat when they're outside enjoying the company of others, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on everyone in your group," Harris said. "It's hot outside so you want to make sure you're hydrated, prior to going outside or doing any strenuous activity."

Be on the lookout for any signs or symptoms of heat-related illnesses. EMS says heat exhaustion comes before a stroke and causes heavy sweating. Once someone has stopped sweating and can no longer take down fluids, that's the time to act fast and get emergency help.

"If a person becomes unresponsive or starts having a seizure,” Harris said. “That can be a sign of heat stroke, that's whenever the body's core temperature is so hot it's unable to regulate its own temperature. That's a true medical emergency, they're going to have to go to the hospital for that.”

Harris said spending the day in the ocean or a pool is no exception.

"It's going to dehydrate you even more, so you might feel cool because you're in the water, however, your body is getting dehydrated out there," Harris said.

While in this heat, Harris says to also keep a close eye on children and older family members.

"An average adult's body is able to regulate temperature better than an elderly patient. Sometimes they don't feel the heat or cool as much as we do. So they might become overheated and not realize it," Harris said.

In the last week, EMS has responded to 22 heat-related calls.