BOSTON (WHDH) -- People who weren’t able to make it to the beach on Wednesday tried cooling off in other ways.

Dozens of public water fountains were filled in Boston to help people cope with the heat.

Those working outside in the sweltering heat couldn’t drink enough water on Wednesday… The heat made everything a challenge.

“You gotta show up, you gotta do it,” said Al Mackenzie, who works outdoors. “Just because it’s hot out, you know, you’ve got a job, you’ve got to go.”

Emergency medical services said they had extra crews out looking for those feeling the heat.

“Some of these folks out here are homeless and they don’t have a cell phone so sometimes we just make sure that they’re okay,” said Capt. Jose Archila of Boston EMS.

Air conditioning units were cranked to the maximum -- something that had NSTAR officials monitoring on an hourly basis.

“No issues right now to report. Everything is working just fine and we expect that to continue,” said Mike Durand of NSTAR.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino opened up more than two dozen cooling centers across the city to keep residents safe.

Public pools across the city don’t open until Saturday, but water spraying at the parks were up and running for the first day of summer. It brought a glimmer of relief.

“You’ve gotta stay cold, you’ve gotta stay wet,” said Frank Mendoza, who enjoys the heat. “I’m cold right now; I don’t feel the heat at all. I bet you’re a lot hotter than I am right now.”

Emergency responders said if you’re walking around a bottle of water should suffice, but if you’re working outdoors much more is needed.

A repeat performance is expected for Thursday.