PHOENIX (AZFamily)
— As temperatures across Phoenix crank up, a special team in the Phoenix Fire Department is expanding efforts to keep people cool.
They are going into the community to bring as many people as possible indoors and into cool spaces.
More than 100 people make up the
Phoenix Fire Department Community Assistance Program
. Every day looks different for them, as they respond to calls along with firefighters.
“It can be house fires, natural deaths, domestic violence, sexual assault calls, someone that is unhoused or experiencing mental health crisis or substance use issues,” Stephanie Smith with the CAP said.
Their job is to help victims and their families pick up the pieces after a tragedy. “We can come in there and provide that crisis intervention, that emotional support, and we can connect them with either community resources or get in touch with family members or friends that can come over and be there with them through this time,” Smith said.
New this year, they are taking their efforts even further. “A lot of people that are out here in the elements, they really don’t have that transportation to get to the cooling centers,” she said.
The team is now providing rides for people stuck in the heat, looking for a cooler space. “It’s definitely crucial,” Smith said.
Last year,
more than 600 people died from the heat in Maricopa County
. Smith says they want to help reduce that number. “The heat can be really taxing and a lot of times people aren’t really aware of how it’s affecting their body,” Smith said.
The team will take people to cooling centers across the city, including the
new 24/7 center that opened this year in downtown Phoenix
.
Smith says they’re going to places like parks and bus stops to see who may need help. “We also have resources on our vans to help people, from water to splitters to cooling racks,” she said.
It’s a car ride, Smith says can go a long way. “If we can be there right at that moment, then we’re doing the service that we’re designed to do,” she said.
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