Maricopa County and Clear Channel Outdoor launch Heat Relief campaign billboards

PHOENIX — Clear Channel Outdoor and Maricopa County are partnering for the second year on a digital billboard heat relief campaign, the county announced Tuesday.

The billboards, donated by Clear Channel Outdoor, will educate people across the Valley about critical, local heat relief resources to help keep them cool down during the hotter months including more than 200 heat relief sites.

The digital signs will also promote the free, 24-hour 211 information service. The service has live operators who will take calls daily, in both English and Spanish, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and aid callers in finding nearby cooling centers, transportation, utility support or emergency A/C repairs.

When operators are not available, callers will still be able to get help by selecting from an automated menu.

“Everyone in our community is entitled to the knowledge needed to take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their families from the dangers of extreme heat,” Clear Channel Outdoor Arizona division president Adriane Youngblood said in a press release.

The campaign, which launched on May 12 and will run through mid-October, is also supported by the Maricopa Association of Governments, 211 Arizona and the city of Phoenix.

Have the heat relief campaign billboards been effective?

In 2024, Maricopa County saw heat-related deaths decrease for the first time in a decade, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

Preliminary data showed there were 602 confirmed heat-related deaths in 2024 which is down from the 645 in 2023. This drop in deaths was even during the record 113-day stretch where temperatures were at 100 degrees or more.

“Keeping our residents safe during extreme summer heat is a top priority. That’s why we’re providing respite sites with overnight and extended hour options,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in the release.

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