The Phoenix Fire Union is asking the city’s Parks and Recreation Board to consider closing several challenging Valley Trails on days of excessive heat.
During a public meeting on Tuesday, members of the United Phoenix Firefighters Association will request restrictions on three exit points on Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak when outside temperatures reach 105 degrees.
“The safety of our community and our first responders must be a priority,” union officials said in a statement posted on Facebook.
This appeal comes almost a month after 12 members of the fire brigade’s technical rescue team were sent home on June 16 for heat injuries following multiple mountain rescues. Temperatures reached 115 degrees that day, according to the National Weather Service.
Two firefighters were hospitalized on the same day with acute kidney failure due to dehydration and exhaustion during the rescue operations, the union said.
The three trails in question are the Cholla and Echo Canyon trails on Camelback Mountain and the Piestewa Peak Trail on Piestewa Peak. All three trails are known for short but steep and strenuous hikes – and are popular all year round.
The trails on the two mountains are risky for first responders due to their terrain and altitude, which, according to the union, are among the “hardest to reach areas in Phoenix”. The statement goes on to say that crews need air support and have difficulty maneuvering on particularly hot days when temperatures are above 116 degrees.
In 2016, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board banned people from bringing dogs on hiking trails when outside temperatures reached 100 degrees. However, the board of directors rejected a proposal at the time to block the paths to the public at 110 degrees.
In recent years, the parks department has implemented safety guidelines as part of the Take A Hike, Do It Right campaign, warning hikers to hike early in the morning and in the evening and to turn around before they are halfway through their water.
However, these efforts have not convinced all hikers. In June, the Republic of Arizona received 15 reports of mountain rescue operations, five of which were confirmed to be heat-related, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
According to a joint report by the Phoenix Fire Department and the Parks and Recreation Board, around 50% of all mountain rescues take place on the two mountains. In 2020 a total of 284 rescues were required, 55 of them on Camelback Mountain and 40 on Piestewa Peak.
The board of directors will meet virtually on July 13th at 5 p.m. to discuss the topic.
Reach current reporter Monica D. Spencer at [email protected] or on Twitter @monicadspencer.
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