LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – FOX5 is getting a look into how many people are feeling the effects of this brutal heat.
Community Ambulance officials say they’ve responded to ten times the number of heat-related calls this June compared to June 2023. But it’s not just the record-breaking temperatures that are responsible for the significant increase says Community Ambulance Senior Director, Glen Simpson.
One, they’re covering more area than they did last year. Two, what’s considered a heat-related call can vary, and this data comes from several different communication centers.
And, finally, he says June’s sudden jump in temperature caught the community off guard.
“We saw those temperatures really kind of elevate more quickly than we’ve seen. We think, you know, as a result people were not quite as acclimated as they are now,” Simpson says.
Since the beginning of July, Clark County, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas Fire Departments have responded to nearly 150 heat-related calls combined.
The Henderson Fire Department alone has responded to nearly 60 heat-related calls since the beginning of May.
Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Captain Vernon Reinhart says heat-related calls and pavement burns run hand-in-hand. To help prevent those burns, they’re holding a Flip Flop Challenge.
You can donate new flip flops to La Vegas Fire Stations 1, 44, and 48, any Cowabunga Bay location, and Inspire Closets.
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