Heat claims victim, 71

As the city baked through another day yesterday, a 71-year-old North Philadelphia man who had been found dead in his car was declared the first victim of the heat wave.

Jeff Moran, spokesman for the city Health Department, said an autopsy had determined that Griffin Lloyd Jr., of 7th Street near Glenwood Avenue, had died of heart disease, diabetes and heat stress.

He was found dead in his car at his home Monday.

His wife, Elaine, was too shaken to talk about it last night, but earlier she told WPVI-TV (Channel 6) that her husband, a retired engineer, had returned from a doctor's appointment.

She said he had turned off the ignition, put the key in his pocket and apparently left the windows up.

The heat wave's strain on city cooling systems caused officials to close the State Office Building, at Broad and Spring Garden streets, yesterday.

Officials said the closure at 12:20 p.m. was a cautionary move when it was realized that the cooling system was low on water and was to the point of becoming hazardous to employees and visitors.

The cooling towers were refilled by the end of the day and the building will be open today for normal business.

In this or any heat wave, the elderly are always a concern, said Chris Gallagher, director of the heatline for the Philadelphia Corp. for the Aging.

He said that when a heat warning is issued, his staff remains until midnight, helping callers.

"This being July in Philly, we've been pretty active; we received between 125 and 150 calls on Monday," Gallagher said.

"We usually get about 450 calls a day, anyway, but when a heat warning is declared, we get more calls related directly to the heat."

Gallagher said that when the heat advisory is issued, he puts in motion a mobile team that will track calls, and there is also a nurse on standby.

"We have a nurse from the Health Department who gets to the heart of the ailments [via phone], and if they still need intervention, we'll send out a mobile team," Gallagher said.

"They take vital signs, help alleviate some of the problems.

"If any time during that process the person is in a real emergency, we will suggest they call 911 or we will call 911 for them," he said. *