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PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. (13 News) – The Southern Arizona Rescue Association reports fewer calls on local hiking trails this summer than normal, despite recent heat-related deaths in Phoenix and around the Grand Canyon.
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SARA Vice President Richard Hounshell said the organization has had a relatively quiet season so far.
“This year has been relatively low for Southern Arizona Rescue Association specifically,” Hounshell said. “I think for this month we may have only one or two, which is pretty unusual for our historical average.”
Hounshell said the reason for the decline is nuanced.
“Sometimes it’s just circumstantial, you know, the circumstances for the individual are such that they don’t need a protracted rescue,” Hounshell said.
The statistics do not include some EMS calls handled by other services.
“A lot of the other EMS services will have like a, ‘Well, if they’re within this specific distance, then we’ll go and get to them. But if it’s longer than that, they’ll call the volunteer unit to go get them,’” Hounshell said.
Hounshell said the numbers may be a reflection of the effectiveness of their word-of-mouth awareness campaign for hiker safety.
Daniel Levy, a local hiker, said safety awareness has increased as temperatures have risen over the years.
“We’re getting all these, like, plus 100 days and, like, near 110 days, and it definitely makes hiking something where you gotta think about from a safety perspective,” Levy said.
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Hounshell said the organization has put more emphasis on preventative measures as Tucson summers get hotter, including extra heat acclimation for volunteers and stocking up on resources for heat warnings.
“When the actual rescues, when we expect these sort of hot days, we will stock our trucks with additional cold water, more ice, more things like that to just be prepared for that,” Hounshell said.
Regardless of the lower number of rescue calls, Hounshell said SARA will be ready to help when needed.
“If you do find yourself in stress, please call 911. There is no charge for rescue services that are performed by SARA or the sheriff’s department,” Hounshell said.
Hounshell said it is recommended not to hike once the sun is fully out during the extreme heat warning this week.
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