Firefighters Respond As Record Summer Heat In Phoenix Topples Hikers, ACs — And Cacti

Summers in Phoenix are punishing. And this summer was scorching hot. July and August were the hottest and driest on record. And while much of the country is beginning to cool off as autumn approaches, we can expect more triple digits into next week. According to the National Weather Service, we experienced a record-smashing 53 days where temperatures were 110 degrees or higher. The previous mark of 33 days was set in 2011. And sometimes it exceeded 115 degrees. There were 14 of those miserable days. Despite the less than ideal weather, many of us still enjoy the challenge of hiking up a mountain on a really toasty day. "I can tell you that in one day, we did have five mountain rescues," said Phoenix Fire Department Captain Todd Keller. He's talking about what happened on Sept. 6.
KJZZ-FM 91.5

Chandler Fire Department: Two people killed in crash near Dobson and Elliot in Chandler

The Chandler Fire Department says two people have died after a serious crash Thursday afternoon. The incident happened around 4 p.m. on Elliot Road near Dobson Road. Firefighters say it was a multiple vehicle crash and at least one of the vehicles caught fire. Two people died in the collision and two others were treated on scene and released. It's unclear what caused the crash, or if speed or impairment were a factor.
KNXV-TV ABC 15 Phoenix

Pima County Sheriff’s Department Communications Center implements crisis call transfer

Pima County Sheriff’s Department implemented a new program that will transform the way 911 call-takers triage calls from those in mental health crisis. Through continued partnership with Arizona Complete Health, callers identified as having a behavioral health need- and no immediate safety, criminal or medical concern- will be transferred to the Arizona Crisis Line. Earlier this year, the Sheriff’s Department began working closely with ACH to expand its partnership and establish a phased implementation of the call triage system. Call-takers will divert calls to specially trained Crisis Professionals for immediate de-escalation, crisis stabilization and, if needed, dispatching of a Crisis Mobile Team. In the traditional 911 model, first responders would have been dispatched to the scene and once on scene, would have been expected to identify the need for crisis care then request the appropriate resources- all of which causes care delays.
KOLD-TV CBS 13 Tucson

New Mexico’s REM Team makes first of its kind rescue in southeast Arizona

VIDEO: It came down to the right training with the right tools at the right time. That is what Albuquerque Fire Rescue said about saving the life of another firefighter battling wildfires in Arizona. As wildfires ravage the west, firefighters from all over the country are deploying to battle the flames. That includes AFR. Their Rapid Extraction Module Team, or REM Team, was assigned to a wildland fire in southeast Arizona last month. “It was very steep, rugged and rocky,” Lt. Courtney Rhoades said. “There was a lot of smoke and fire. Rhoades is one member of the team made up of four highly trained people with specialized equipment called upon to rescue other firefighters.
KRQE-TV CBS/FOX 13 Albuquerque

Arizona adjusts reporting, adds 1,753 coronavirus cases, 38 deaths

With a warning about higher numbers because of advances in testing, Arizona health authorities reported 1,753 new coronavirus cases and 38 additional deaths on Thursday morning. That put the state’s documented totals at 211,660 COVID-19 infections and 5,409 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Thursday’s case report, which was about 1,000 higher than the previous day and the largest since Aug. 1, included results from recent months of a newly authorized type of diagnostic test, according to a blog post from Health Director Dr. Cara Christ. Christ said to expect higher case reports over the next few days because of the changes following a fourth antigen testing process getting Food and Drug Administration authorization recently. Antigen testing (not to be confused with antibody, or serology, tests that detect past infections) isn’t as accurate at the predominant PCR diagnostic testing, Christ said, but it provides fast results.
KTAR-FM Glendale

Smoke envelopes the Verde Valley

Verde Valley residents awoke on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 8 to see … nothing. The normally clear Northern Arizona skies that usually allow residents to see for miles and miles were marred by a white haze, the residue of 22 wildfires in California and 10 other Western states away from the Verde Valley, swept by Santa Ana winds several hundred miles to hover in the air above us. “The smoke is primarily from fires in California and Colorado, but Arizona and Utah fires could contribute in the coming days as well,” Ken Daniel, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Flagstaff office, wrote in an email. “As numerous fires continue to churn, and the atmosphere continues to mix, it’s becoming even harder and harder to separate the individual sources.” Though the rest of the week was notably clearer than the white haze last Tuesday, meteorologists stress that with the fires in other states not yet abating, the smoke could be back soon.
Sedona Red Rock News