
Wildfire heat relief to launch in July in concert with statewide assistance
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Wildfire has raised $2 million and donations of new energy-efficient HVAC units to replace failing or broken air conditioners.
Wildfire’s Heat Relief Initiative will officially launch in the third quarter when qualifying low-income homeowners statewide will be able to apply for assistance, said Wildfire Executive Director Kelly McGown, who added that the program’s first-year goal is to replace 150 units.
“The community, led by APS, SRP, Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Southwest Gas, quickly and fully supported the Heat Relief Initiative and we are incredibly grateful on behalf of those individuals and families who will benefit from the program,” Ms. McGowan said. “With more than 600 heat-related deaths last year and projections for summer temperatures to continue rising, something needed to be done.”
Ms. McGowan says Wildfire has committed to fund the program for at least three years and that fund raising will be ongoing. No federal funds are being used.
“This is not a one-time effort or a short-term fix,” she said. “We will continue raising funds and other support because we know the need is greater than the resources. No one in Arizona should die from the heat in their own home.”
Other contributors to the Heat Relief Initiative included The Burton Family Foundation, Garcia Family Foundation, Gonzales Heating and Cooling and the Flinn Foundation.
“Functioning A/C units are vital to preventing heat-related deaths, especially among the most vulnerable members of our community,” Ms. McGowan said. “New, energy-efficient units will save households 20-30 percent on cooling costs every year; money that can be used for food, medicine and other needs. And the well-being of low-income families and seniors will be improved and enhanced.”