OPINION — A few weeks ago, a family of four was brought to our doors by a Phoenix firefighter who had responded to a heat-distress call in a parking lot where the family had been living out of their car.
That handoff, from first responder to shelter provider, happens more often than most people realize, and it’s a small window into something bigger: a regional system, spanning city departments, the county, nonprofits, faith communities and emergency crews, working in real time to keep families alive through a Phoenix summer that keeps getting longer and more dangerous.
Maricopa County has already confirmed more than 100 heat-related deaths this season, running well ahead of last summer’s pace, with July and August, historically the deadliest stretch.
