TUCSON, Ariz. — Hikers are heading out in temperatures above 100 degrees with little to no water, and rescuers say it is a dangerous combination.
The Southern Arizona Rescue Association, known as SARA, says conditions like these put hikers at serious risk.
Amy Di Miceli, a rescuer with SARA, said the standard recommendation is one liter of water per person, per hour.
"When it's hot like this. like today, you really wanna bring way more water than you'll think you need," Di Miceli said. "People can be overcome by the heat in just 15 to 20 minutes. Heat exhaustion happens when our bodies just cannot cool ourselves down," Di Miceli said.
She recommends to go hiking early morning before the triple digits hit.
Oscar Sandoval was one of the hikers on Tumamoc Hill without water. When asked where his water was, he said, "already ingested."
"The only thing I ever get worried about is getting burned so I'm in my little fishing gear, so I'm good," Sandoval said.
SARA says that sounds like a rescue waiting to happen.
SARA has responded to 35 rescues so far this year.
"Last year we went on 65 rescues for the entirety of the year, so we're about on track," Di Miceli said.
The most recent was Saturday, Aug. 1, at Tanque Verde Canyon, where a man fell and hurt his leg.
"Lots of people like to go to Tanque Verde Falls and find some relief from the heat with the water and enjoy swimming, but those rocks can be very slippery," Di Miceli said.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) requested SARA's assistance to get the man to safety.
"We hike down, so we bring all of our equipment on our backs down there and we'll make a determination if we're able to carry them out by carrying them out on a stokes basket up that hill out of the canyon or if we will need a helicopter to assist," Di Miceli said. "Where Tanque Verde Canyon is there's lots of boulders, there's lots of rocks. It can be a very difficult situation to get people out of, so we typically will use a helicopter in that scenario."
High heat also makes rescues dangerous for the rescuers themselves.
"Sometimes no matter how in shape you are, how athletic you are, sometimes the heat is just no match for us," Di Miceli said.
During the summer, SARA increases the size of its teams, brings extra water and members keep an eye on each other.
She says they have over 100 members — about 50 of those are field qualified who regularly go out on rescue calls.
"We are currently in the middle of our recruitment cycle. We had a bunch of people show up and submit applications. I think we received around 70 applications, which is fantastic. So we're going through those right now and we'll start our new training class in September," Di Miceli said.
Di Miceli offered the following safety reminders for the community.
"Try not to go hiking in those hot temperatures. Always tell someone where you will be going, when to expect you back, and when they should be calling 911 to report you as missing. Always have somebody looking out for you. Bring more water than you think you'll need," Di Miceli said.
Wearing hats and sunscreen will also help protect you.
She also warned hikers to be aware of their medications and how they might affect heat tolerance. Consult with your doctor.
Search and rescue services are free. If you find yourself in trouble, call 911 as soon as possible.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
