While most everybody has spent the last week and will spend this coming weekend trying to stay cool indoors, there are those who have the thankless job of being outside responding to the victims of heat.

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First responders across the region have had to work through a delicate balancing act - to help protect others and make sure to not get overheated themselves. And on the hottest day of the year so far, and even warmer temperatures to come, firefighters are battling the heat head-on.

Now, on day nine of a historically long heat wave, they're responding to a flurry of calls.

They're helping people like Peggy Zaram, who called for help because the thick air is making it even harder for her to breathe.

"It's the humidity and the heat more than anything else," she said.

Meanwhile, in Montgomery County, firefighters are making sure that people who have been weakened by the heat are getting the proper care and, most importantly, the water that they need.

With scorching temperatures and power still being restored to thousands of customers, the job for firefighters is even more challenging than ever, especially for those wearing heavy gear.

"You work until your limit when you need a break," firefighter Robert Daley said. "You need to ask for a break."