well thousands in New Jersey are still without power as a result of the heat wave raging through our state as of yesterday 30,000 people were without power and temperatures that were in the high 90s today as temperatures climbed upwards of 100° there were still more than 4,000 people without power that's according to online information shared by the power companies across the state 17 of our 21 counties now have cooling centers open to offer some reprieve from the heat for those struggling to keep cool but the danger is real especially for those who can't get to cooling centers or properly cool their own homes they face the risk of heat exhaustion and other health problems that's where Operation Ice Water steps in run by paramedics at St joseph's University Hospital in Patterson who bring life-saving ice water to folks in danger of extreme heat exposure raven Santana went along for the ride to see their work in action we got customers already less than two minutes into Rob Bertolo's rounds and he's already flagged down by bystanders in need of water the scrap metal collectors those folks work harder than anybody ever saw bertolo a health manager at St joseph's Health wears his determination and compassion on his sleeve as he helps those struggling in the sweltering dangerous heat that's why through Operation Ice Water he seeks out and delivers cold water to Patterson's most vulnerable residents we started midday Thursday Thursday evening um knowing the heat was going to hit in full tilt on Friday um as of close of business yesterday we were 11 we were 1,600 bottles yesterday um just here with you folks today we've put out probably another 300 um it's still more in the truck and um on average um we'll keep going with this like till to the heat breaks like we said and um last year we did 10,000 it's a challenging but crucial mission over the next few days as temperatures in Jersey tick up to 100° and in a city that yesterday saw over a 100 people receive medical care due to extreme heat exposure at a high school graduation Bertolo says the goal is to ease the strain on the city's already overburdened emergency response system yesterday was Oh my god i thought I was going to die yesterday cuz I got heart surgery so it's hard so so having this cold water here oh yes it will help me a lot in regards to not just the regular medical and trauma emergencies we've also been seen an increase of um heat related emergencies where our paramedics are responding to those scenes the heat spikes try to get out the day before to make sure it's here ahead of time and then the day of and we just keep doing it to make sure that the supply levels we see are sustainable cuz they've had um problems getting to a bathroom they don't drink because they don't want to become they don't want to lose their bladder on the way so they figure that's a a safer way to do things but at the same time it just makes their situation worse so they need to stay in cool area in the shade they need to hydrate a lot um and they they lose track of that sometimes another location another man sits waiting for Bertolo seen by many as a heat hero just stopping by getting water out and got a sleeping bag stuff like that on a day like today are you happy to see Bob yeah that's good on average Bertolo makes about seven to eight stops a day where he is handing out water and in some cases says he even leaves a case of water to help people throughout the day always yeah it's uh I can I can come up and give them a bottle but like you and I spoke about earlier I can give you a big bottle of ice water you'll drink it in the next couple of minutes and then they still have the rest of today and tomorrow to go through so we put case quantities because it helps them sustain long enough that we can get everybody cycle back the next day or the day after and uh make sure that they have a supply bertollo says he plans to keep doing this for as long as this level of heat continues he hopes word about Operation Ice Water spreads so he can reach more people and help them avoid a trip to the hospital or something even worse for NJ Spotlight News I'm Raven Santana