By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — During extreme heat warnings, the city of Phoenix closes its trails.
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But on many occasions, people head out on hikes anyway, and sometimes they need to be rescued after getting overheated.
As it stands, trail closure violators could face fines and community service for breaking the rules, but that typically doesn’t happen.
Arizona’s Family spoke with Phoenix Parks and Recreation Director Marty Whitfield, along with leaders with the Phoenix Fire Department, who say they prefer to lead with education.
During the interview, Arizona’s Family gave them some feedback from emergency crews about wanting to hold park goers more accountable when they break the rules.
It was clear that the standards for people who disobey the park rules will stay at a slap on the wrist.
READ MORE: No hikers cited for entering closed trails since program began in 2021
“We work together trying to find new avenues. There are things that council brings to us that could help us,” Phoenix Fire Assistant Chief Mark Gonzales said.
Whitfield also responded, saying, “We reserve the right to issue citations, and over the years, it’s a practice of ours to lead with education.”
Both Whitfield and Gonzales stood firm on how they want to deal with people who break the rules at the trails and parks: lead with education. But is that enough?
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When people ignore the trail closure signs and end up needing help, it’s not only dangerous for the hikers but also for the crews who respond.
“Why don’t you cite them after the fact?” reporter Stephanie Duprey asked.
“I’ll circle back to, we go with education, and we don’t want folks who are on our trails to be scared to call for help,” Whitfield said.
What about other rules, like no dogs or staying on designated trails? We asked Whitfield what directives park rangers are given when it comes to handing out fines.
“We have a lot of visitors on our preserves all times of the year. It gets very hot, like it will next week, so it’s about education. That’s what we tell park rangers,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield added that if any park employees or fire crews brought their concerns to him, he would be open to discussion.
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