Doorbell camera captures scary moment in extreme heat for UPS driver
Temperatures rose to 110 degrees in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale that day -- and the footage served as a stark visual of a trend officials there say has been on the rise.
A UPS driver collapsed on someone’s porch in Scottsdale, Arizona, on July 14 as temperatures soared to 111 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 degrees above the climatological normal.
A UPS driver collapsed briefly on the porch of a Scottsdale, Arizona, home while conducting a delivery amid sizzling heat on July 14.
Footage from a Ring doorbell owned by resident Brian Enriquez captured the startling occurrence. The driver appeared to be feeling the effects of the heat as he swayed from side to side, package in hand. When the driver set the package down on the doorstep, he slouched to the side, seemingly unable to get back on his feet. After resting for a moment, the driver managed to get on his feet and ring the doorbell before walking away back into the hot sun.
Temperatures in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix, hit a scalding 110 degrees Fahrenheit on the day the driver collapsed, which is three degrees above normal for the area.
According to NBC News, Enriquez was at work when the package was delivered and didn't see the video until later in the day. After seeing what had happened, Enriquez called the police and UPS, concerned that the exhausted driver might collapse again.
People try to keep cool at the Justa Center, a resource center catering to the older homeless population, as temperatures hit 110-degrees Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Phoenix. Heat associated deaths in Arizona's largest county appear headed for a record this year with 17 such fatalities reported through the first week of July and another 126 under investigation as a growing number of homeless people live outside as temperatures remain well into the triple digits. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
"I was concerned for the fact that he was coming, stumbling to the door,” Enriquez told KPNX. “Had I gotten to my phone sooner, I could have talked to him through my Ring, but he had already left the property at that point.”
In a statement to NBC News, UPS said that the driver was "fine."
Temperatures in the Phoenix area have peaked at 101 degrees or higher since June 19, with little relief from the heat in sight. According to 12News, heat deaths have been rising in the Phoenix area in recent years, leading local officials to concoct a strategy to try to save lives and prevent heatstroke.
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The Associated Press reported that at least 17 people have succumbed to the heat within the first week of July alone, with another 126 deaths under investigation.
"Most years, Phoenix has had the highest per capita rate of heat-associated deaths in the county -- a standing we'd like to change," David Hondula, the city's director of heat mitigation, told 12News.
According to the City of Phoenix, 338 people died from heat-related illnesses in 2021 alone, 64% of whom were individuals experiencing homelessness. This year, the city has implemented strategies big and small, from the construction of a new heat-relief shelter that can hold up to 200 people to the distribution of reusable water bottles.
In another effort to combat the intense heat, Phoenix’s Street Transportation Department has been working to create “cool corridors,” to combat the urban heat island effect. This involves painting area roadways a lighter color grey, which makes them less absorbent to the hot climate.
Darker-colored pavement keeps heat entrenched in roadways and adds to the sweltering environment, according to the city’s street transportation officials.
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