ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- The high temps have put emergency officials on high alert. Nearly one dozen local agencies are joining together to help combat the heat.

While the team works on a regional level, neighborhood families are fighting it in their own way. Water can make the heat bearable in more ways than one.

For instance kids at the Harkins Aquatic Center use the clear stuff to cool down their bodies and have some fun in the process. Of course drinking the liquid is another useful method but water alone won't keep heat illnesses away.

"Conditions like this can be very serious for us," says medical director of Region 1 Hospital System Dr. John Rudzinski.

"We have a serious concern," says Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey.

"Spending time in air conditioned facilities is absolutely essential," says Winnebago County Health Department Director Michael Bacon.

"I don't know what I would do," says cooling center occupant Jessie Henning

Henning is one of many that will make it through the week without air conditioning. He plans to spend as much time as possible in one of the area's many cooling centers setup in an effort to save lives.

"I feel it's a blessing to have places like that for the homeless, for people like us to go to cool off," says Henning.

This week's heat is especially dangerous to our youngest and oldest generations, however the threat is real for all of us.

One of the lesser known tricks to keeping cool comes with the choices you make at meal times. Choosing lighter foods like fruits and vegetables which are more easily digestible means less work for your body and less internal heat created.

Some across the Stateline don't seem to be concerned with the week of heat but a similar situation in Europe only eight years ago resulted in disaster.

"Probably 15,000 people died in the European heat wave. So we can suffer enormous damage to our population here in this community," says Rudzinski.

If you can't make it out to a local pool or water pad the Winnebago County Health Department suggests taking frequent cool baths or showers.

If you or anyone you know has questions or needs individual assistance a hot line for Boone and Winnebago counties have been setup. However emergency management leaders say do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 if immediate help is needed.

The helpline for the region is (815) 987-5711