PHOENIX — Phoenix Fire is deploying a dedicated medical response truck on weekends through September as the number of mountain rescue incidents rises and the department's hoist helicopter remains out of service for repairs.
The self-contained medical response truck, staffed by 4 firefighters who are all technical rescue team members, will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September at Fire Station 12, the closest station to Camelback Mountain.
Rob McDade with Phoenix Fire said the increase in rescues drove the decision.
“When we looked at the fact that we have a large increase in the amount of mountain rescues as compared to last year, we put together what is called basically a medical response or an MR self-contained truck with 4 firefighters. They're all technical rescue team members," McDade said.
Through July 31, Phoenix Fire responded to 118 mountain rescue incidents in 2026, compared to 98 during the same period in 2025.
The number of patients rescued also increased, from 105 through July 31, 2025, to 127 through July 31, 2026.
Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak and South Mountain all saw increases. At Camelback, incidents rose from 14 in 2025 to 16 in 2026. Piestewa Peak saw the sharpest increase, jumping from 1 incident to 5. South Mountain climbed from 12 to 14.
McDade said the rising rescue numbers are frustrating despite ongoing public outreach efforts.
"It's disappointing that the numbers went up, but we don't believe it's a lack of us not trying to get that message out there," McDade said.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Despite the overall increase in rescues, the number of patients rescued on excessive heat warning days dropped significantly. During May through July 2026, 7 patients were rescued on excessive heat days, including 3 on trails which were closed on excessive heat warning days.
During the same period in 2025, 27 patients were rescued on excessive heat days, including 13 on restricted trails according to Phoenix Fire. There have been 31 excessive heat warning days year-to-date in 2026, with 18 of those occurring between May 1 and July 31.
The medical response truck's weekend service schedule through August and September aligns with the period during which the Phoenix Firebird hoist helicopter is out of service. The helicopter, frequently used in mountain rescues, is being repaired out of state and is not expected to return until October.
McDade said the additional truck was already being planned before the helicopter went offline.
"This was already in the works. We already saw the numbers and we were already putting it into play. So this made the decision even that much easier for us to do and we're hoping that we see the results," McDade said.
McDade said there has not yet been a rescue that would have required hoist capability since the helicopter went out of service. He added that Phoenix Fire has reinforced its relationships with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety and is confident it could call on those agencies for air support if needed.
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.
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as a preferred source on Google below:
