PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 As temperatures across Phoenix crank up, a special team in the Phoenix Fire Department is expanding efforts to keep people cool.<\/p>\n
They are going into the community to bring as many people as possible indoors and into cool spaces.<\/p>\n
More than 100 people make up the Phoenix Fire Department Community Assistance Program<\/a>. Every day looks different for them, as they respond to calls along with firefighters.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be house fires, natural deaths, domestic violence, sexual assault calls, someone that is unhoused or experiencing mental health crisis or substance use issues,\u201d Stephanie Smith with the CAP said.<\/p>\n Their job is to help victims and their families pick up the pieces after a tragedy. \u201cWe 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,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n New this year, they are taking their efforts even further. \u201cA lot of people that are out here in the elements, they really don\u2019t have that transportation to get to the cooling centers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The team is now providing rides for people stuck in the heat, looking for a cooler space. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely crucial,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Last year, more than 600 people died from the heat in Maricopa County<\/a>. Smith says they want to help reduce that number. \u201cThe heat can be really taxing and a lot of times people aren\u2019t really aware of how it\u2019s affecting their body,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n The team will take people to cooling centers across the city, including the new 24\/7 center that opened this year in downtown Phoenix<\/a>. <\/p>\n Smith says they\u2019re going to places like parks and bus stops to see who may need help. \u201cWe also have resources on our vans to help people, from water to splitters to cooling racks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a car ride, Smith says can go a long way. \u201cIf we can be there right at that moment, then we\u2019re doing the service that we\u2019re designed to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n