PHOENIX – Amid a scorching heat wave, Phoenix firefighters are responding to heat-related emergency calls, especially among people experiencing homelessness.
What we know:
On Aug. 7, Phoenix reached a record-breaking 118 degrees, contributing to heat-related emergencies rescue crews responded to.
FOX 10’s Lindsey Ragas rode along with firefighters as they responded to two such calls on Aug. 8.
The first call came in just before 4:30 p.m. for a man experiencing homelessness who was found with body cramps inside a pizza restaurant.
“He stated he had been out in the heat for the last couple of days,” Phoenix Fire Capt. Jerome Adams said. The man was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
The second call was for a man found lying on the ground at Steele Indian School Park. A runner who called 911 reported the man was breathing, but by the time firefighters arrived, he had gone into cardiac arrest.
“We have a device called a LUCAS device, which is our automatic CPR machine,” Phoenix Fire Capt. DJ Lee said, explaining that it frees up hands for other critical measures.
Firefighters performed resuscitation efforts and used a cold immersion bag to cool the man, whose body temperature was over 104 degrees. He was not breathing when transported to the hospital.
“They are a lot more common than we like,” Lee said of the heat calls. “Unfortunately, we do get quite a few of those. And sometimes, we get the really worst outcomes.”
By the numbers:
Since May 1, the Phoenix Fire Department has responded to more than 130 heat-related calls and has used its cold water immersion treatment more than 85 times.