Title
Trails and Heat Safety Program - Districts 6 and 8
Description
This joint report by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Phoenix Fire Department provides information about the Parks and Recreation Board approved Phoenix Trails and Heat Safety Program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Background
The Parks and Recreation Department (Department) builds healthy communities through parks, programs and partnerships; and makes the City a better place to live, visit and play. The Department is home to more than 41,000 acres of desert parks and mountain preserves, and more than 200 miles of trails, and is dedicated to preserving, protecting, restoring and sustaining cultural and natural resources while providing quality, safety and accessible educational and recreational opportunities. The Department leads with education on safe and responsible use of Phoenix trails, including the “Take A Hike. Do it Right.” campaign.
Living in a desert climate, heat has continued to present challenges. For more than a decade, the City has experienced record-breaking heat and the impact of heat on trail users and first responders can be severe. Strenuous physical activities in high temperatures during long and even short durations can cause heat stroke, heart attack and/or arrhythmia, and neurological, circulatory and respiratory issues. For first responders, mountain rescues are complex incidents that necessitate the response and commitment of multiple companies for an extended period of time. The risk is further elevated as they are required to transport over 145 pounds of equipment (dispersed amongst the members) up the mountain to treat and transport the patient. The use of Firebird 10 (hoist ship) is a resource within the Technical Rescue Program that is used to safely extract a patient from the mountain. Although, it is not always available to use due to current weather conditions, maintenance/repair, and the topography and location of the patient.
The Parks and Recreation Board (Board), per the City Charter Chapter XXIII and City Code Chapter 2, is the proper authority to take action to close or restrict trail access. Due to concerns for the safety of the public and first responders related to trail use and mountain rescues during extreme temperatures, in 2021 the Board took action to initiate the Trails Heat Safety Program. Each year since 2021, the Parks and Recreation and the Phoenix Fire departments have provided a program update to the Board, and the Board has modified the program several times over those years.
The current Trails Heat Safety Program restricts trail access on National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning Days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Camelback Mountain, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail and associated trails at the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, and the Hau’pal Loop Trail, Holbert Trail, Mormon Trail and access to the National Trail from the Pima Canyon Trailhead at South Mountain Park/Preserve. The South Mountain trails are the most recent addition to the Trails Heat Safety Program, and restrict access to 6.71 miles of the available 128 miles of trails on Extreme Heat Warning days.
Trail restrictions are implemented by providing program information and restrictions to the public via press releases, posting signage on site, online and on social media, and as part of the “Take a Hike. Do it Right.” campaign communication to local hotels and resorts. To restrict trails, parking lot gates are closed where gates exist, and signage is posted noting the trail restriction hours. Park Rangers are also visible at busier trailheads to help inform trail users.
Discussion
The primary objective of implementing trail restrictions is to minimize the risk of heat-related illness and injury for the public and first responders. To evaluate the effectiveness of restrictions already in place and determine if there are any other high-risk areas to consider implementing trail restrictions, mountain rescue data from 2021 through 2024 was reviewed, with a specific focus on the months of May through September. The analysis included the four major mountain ranges in the City: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, North Mountain/Shaw Butte, and South Mountain Park.
Data in the risk reduction analysis included, for the years 2021-2024, mountain rescues by month and hour with particular attention to trends during the summer months (May through September). Patient chart information was also reviewed for the same timeframe for common injury/illness complaints as well as patient demographic information.
Key takeaways included three out of four years reviewed saw a decrease in mountain rescues on those mountains that had restrictions in place. Overall Camelback Mountain saw a 37 percent reduction in mountain rescues and Piestewa Peak saw a 43 percent reduction. The other two mountains unaffected by restrictions remained relatively unchanged (±2 calls per year) (Attachment A):
Combined Mountain Rescue numbers by year for Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak:
• 2021: 58 rescues
• 2022: 45 rescues
• 2023: 30 rescues
• 2024: 35 rescues
Rescue call times earlier in the day, just after sunrise, are likely due to hikers attempting to avoid peak heat; however, injury or the inability to complete outdoor activity prior to the start of the trail closure appear to lead to a slight increase in rescues numbers (Attachment B).
Temperature data demonstrates the correlation between rising temperatures and decreasing trail use (Attachment C), however according to trail counters, thousands of people continue to visit the parks even on days exceeding 110°F. There were 16 instances where the Phoenix Fire Department conducted multiple rescues during a single shift (May through September), 11 of which occurred on days with projected highs above 100°F (Attachment D). This mirrors the conditions that led to the implementation of the trail closure policy in 2021.
Patient chart data indicated illness was prevalent over injury (76 percent of patients May - September suffered from heat related illness symptoms). Demographic information revealed that 71 percent of patients (437 charts) documented Arizona was their primary state of residence, and of those 437 charts, 429 of those patients resided in the valley. It is important to mention that while illness prevailed, an injury resulting in immobility during the summer can quickly lead to heat related illness for those patients that cannot self-extract and require assistance from emergency responders to get off the mountain.
Other Information
The Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Phoenix Fire Department, will initiate an update to the Take a Hike. Do it Right. marketing campaign to enhance outreach and education efforts. This may include updated maps; new graphics design and outreach materials; increased outreach efforts; and installation of new signs systemwide.
Parks and Recreation will also continue to engage the more than 300 active Park Stewards to promote and enhance education and outreach on hiking safety and continue to partner with the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation to deploy volunteers to distribute water at select trailheads on weekends during the hottest months of the year as a part of the City’s Heat Response Plan.
Finally, staff will continue exploring new technology options to provide real time trail closure data and other enhancements to the trail user experience.
Location
4925 E. McDonald Dr.; 5994 E. Piestewa Peak Dr.; 10919 S. Central Ave.
Council Districts: 6, 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and Deputy City Manager John Chan and the Parks and Recreation and Phoenix Fire departments.