It’s Heat Awareness Week in Tucson.
Mayor Regina Romero joined county leaders and public health officials to announce the designation Monday.
Romero said Tucson is one of the fastest-warming cities in the U.S.
“We just want to remind people that the heat season is coming and it could be deadly for people if we’re not aware, if we don’t take care of ourselves and take care of others including our neighbors,” she said.
Romero said last year, the city worked with nonprofits to distribute heat relief kits to vulnerable populations like senior citizens and those experiencing homelessness.
“We distributed 900 relief kits last summer, we’re hoping to double the heat relief kits,” she said.
Tucson and Pima County have both established heat regulations for employees and contractors. Romero said they’ve also established things like public cooling centers and GIS heat mapping tools.
The city was awarded roughly $20 million in federal funding to build greenways to cool down hot roadways and retrofit homes with energy efficient systems. But the Trump administration pulled the funding earlier this year.
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The Industrial Commission of Arizona voted to adopt heat safety guidelines for workplaces in the state. But labor groups still hope for enforceable regulations. -
Arizona labor groups are calling for state regulations to require specific protections from heat in workplaces. But actions from the state have so far fallen short of what workers have called for. -
As the Industrial Commission of Arizona considers workplace heat safety recommendations, some employers say they would welcome new heat rules, but others worry about overregulation. -
Arizona's outdoor workers endure extreme temperatures. But Arizona does not have any specific state regulations requiring their employers to provide them with water, shade or breaks from the heat. -
Arizona has never had state regulations specifically to protect workers from heat. And as climate change drives more intense heat waves, heat-related worker deaths in Arizona appear to be increasing at a faster rate.
