Arizona is boosting efforts to protect people from the extreme heat after hundreds died last summer

Arizona’s new heat officer said Friday that he is working with local governments and nonprofit groups to open more cooling centers and ensure homes have working air conditioners in a more unified effort to prevent another ghastly toll of heat-related deaths this summer. There were more than 900 such deaths statewide last year. Dr. Eugene Livar is a physician with the Arizona State Department of Health Services. He was named earlier this year as the first heat officer of a U.S. state. The increased coordination comes as federal agencies seek better ways to protect people from the dangerous heat waves.