It’s difficult to know exactly how many of those were heat related, but Mercer said he has a sense heat was a factor in that jump. Overdoses of heroin and other opioids were not a significant factor in the increase, he said.
“For the last month or so, we’ve been exceptionally busy,” Mercer said. “We’ve had days when we’re over 50 calls, and our typical is 35.
“I think it’s mostly just the heat, people being hot and being too close together, and that causes some stuff for us. Anybody that’s old or has health conditions, if they don’t have air conditioning.
“If you’ve got somebody, especially people that live alone, people should check on them,” he said. “On the family side, particularly elderly, or people that have a medical condition, they should check on them — at the very least, maybe a phone call, and they should stop by once a day to check on them.”
Also, “if people have problems with their utilities, and their electric’s off, or their water’s off, we need to be able to get them someplace where they can take care of themselves and stay cool and hydrated,” he said.
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