By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix Fire Department has responded to nearly 20% more mountain rescue calls so far in 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
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Phoenix Fire Captain Mike Johnson said the summer months typically bring a spike in calls tied to heat, but rescues occur throughout the year.
“As far as the increase, that’s a hard thing to decipher,” Johnson said.
So far in 2026, there have been 129 mountain rescue calls, according to data shared by the Phoenix Fire Department.
At the end of July 2025, the department had responded to 108 mountain rescue calls, and in 2024, that number was 116 at this point.
When the National Weather Service issues and Extreme Heat Warning, the City of Phoenix closes down some of its most popular trails for much of that day.
Despite those closures, the Phoenix Fire Department has continued to respond to mountain rescues.
When technical rescue teams respond to a mountain rescue call, the Phoenix Fire Department sends a lot of resources because they don’t always know what they might need in a given situation.
“When you add that on to now taking a resource-rich call like a mountain rescue, you might have to wait a little bit longer if you’re close in that area and you have a different kind of emergency,” Johnson said. “But we are ready for anything that can come our way.”
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Those resources include manpower, fuel and equipment, like helicopters — all that can come at a financial cost.
One of those 129 rescues took place Wednesday morning on Mummy Mountain. A hiker, identified as Oscar-winning animator Glen Keane, described the moment he realized he needed help.
“I got up there and it was like, what the heck did I do, bringing my family,” Keane said. “I shouldn’t have done this. But I knew that I really needed help.”
While there’s no definitive answer Johnson can give for the increase, and no magic fix to stop the need for mountain rescues fully, Johnson said firefighters are ready to respond whenever they are needed.
“I’m glad that people are calling us if they find themselves in a bad spot,” Johnson said. “That’s why we’re here.”
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