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Hiker rescues up in 2016; hundreds helped off Valley mountains so far

Posted at 9:43 PM, Jul 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-26 12:36:29-04

It's a desperate situation that frankly firefighters are seeing way too often.

"I think that this year we've just had some real tragic things happen, so it just stands out more to us," said Phoenix Fire Captain Reda Bigler.

Phoenix fire crews have performed 225 hiking rescues so far this year.

There were 216 at this point last year, and sadly some rescues have not ended well.

RELATED: Boy seriously hurt while hiking in heat has message for those who try the same

"We have to respond in a very calm and calculated manner, and kind of keep it together. But the one thing we do is it really steps up the urgency," added Captain Bigler.

Air15 caught firefighters literally running an unconscious 12-year-old boy off a mountain trail in the north Valley last week.

He passed away just hours later.

On Monday, a family of 3, including a 12-year-old boy had to be airlifted off Camelback Mountain.

"Everybody just needs to slow down, just kind of have to prepared," said Cheryl Miller, a conditioning coach and hiker.

Miller says she has seen people on trails that should be better prepared. 

"Usually if you're going to be out here in the middle of the day, you need to be overly prepared, because you can see a lot of other people out here, you probably need to carry more than you think need," said Miller.

The City of Phoenix parks department currently bans dogs on trails if it's over 100 degrees at Sky Harbor.

A similar rule closing trails to people in extreme heat has not been enacted.