Phoenix Fire Department Aims To Mitigate Heat-Related Illness Through Outreach
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The Arizona summer heat is upon us, like always. But things are looking more extreme already this year. And temperatures could get dangerous this week.
June 14 expected a high of 116, and June 15 highs near 120 degrees. Those are well above average, and there will be an excessive heat warning in place all week long.
Cities and organizations are doing what they can to help keep people safe with heat relief stations and public outreach all week.
The Show spoke with Capt. Todd Keller of the Phoenix Fire Department to hear about what’s being done.
Interview Highlights
When temperatures get this hot, what are the most common problems that you see?
We will get calls for people hiking in our mountains like Piestewa Peak or Camelback Mountain who are complaining that dizziness or the heat just kind of sneaks up on them, and before they know it, they're out of water, they're not able to make it down. So we will, at that point, send our technical rescue teams to those mountains to safely extricate those hikers off the trail.
What about the heat stations around the city, people who are not necessarily trying to get on the mountain and go hiking, but still might need help? What kind of aid is out there today?
If you go to phoenix.gov, you will see that the Heat Relief Network has a map on there that offers free water and indoor locations to cool off. And there's also other tips and advice on there about staying cool during this excessive heat warning.
How can we watch for warning signs within ourselves in terms of things like heatstroke versus heat exhaustion? What are the things we should watch for to keep ourselves safe?
Heat exhaustion comes before heatstroke. So with heat exhaustion, you're ... fainting or dizzy of excessive sweating — cool, pale, clammy skin. You're starting to get muscle cramps. Once you get to that heatstroke, that is when you need to take immediate action and call 911. You get that throbbing headache, your body actually stops sweating and your temperature will be over 103 degrees. You gonna have that red, hot, dry skin, and you may lose consciousness.
