Do Heat Advisories/Warnings Help or Hurt?

We still have quite a bit of summer to get through, and there's been a running debate in the weather community if issued heat advisories actually help.  Some say the public doesn't really pay much to attention to it since heat doesn't normally leave a \"trail of destruction.\"  In other words, it's a silent killer. 

However, the National Weather Service says heat is one of the top-related killers, responsible for hundreds of deaths a year.  The vulnerable groups, like the elderly and those with disabilities, are typically targeted.  Also, high school athletes can succumb to the extreme temperatures.  In fact, more than 50 teenagers playing football died from the heat since the mid-90s.  And of course, how many times do you hear about people leaving their pets or small children in the car?

So while heat safety may be considered common sense for most of us, some may actually benefit from hearing it through the media, even repeatedly.  It may also safe lives.