LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – These triple-digit temperatures are not something to take lightly, especially if you are outdoors.
It is why the City of Henderson is taking initiative to make sure everyone stays safe from the elements and has enough water.
Their Public Response Team as well as their Homeless Outreach Team make contact with those outdoors to offer them resources to get out of the elements.
“We make about 20 contacts per day and that can vary depending on the day, and the outreach resources for the day,” said Zoltan Kornis, City of Henderson’s community resource coordinator.
Thursday, James Dwyer, the Public Response Team’s manager, drove FOX5 around as his team checked on anyone and everyone found in the heat.
“We start as soon as it starts getting hot,” Dwyer said.
His team packs up their trucks with iced water, electrolytes, cooling towels and information on community resources.
For some stops, the team showed up with water in the brink of time,
“I was literally about to be out of liquids so thank you so much,” one person said to the team.
Often times, they will also find folks who haven’t had water in a while.
“Pretty often, we will go in to some areas that are secluded and find people that maybe have run out of water days ago and they are severely dehydrated. In those situations, we will see if they need emergency services,” Dwyer said.
The team has more than 20 officers spread throughout the city of Henderson, visiting parks, trails, and bus stops from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“When it’s a heat emergency it’s all hands on deck to try to make contact with as many people we can,” Dwyer said.
They will also offer information and rides to cooling stations if someone needs it.
The summer heat in Southern Nevada can be deadly. According to data obtained from the Clark County Coroner’s office, 128 people died in outdoor elements last year.
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