Search and rescue teams are deployed throughout national parks and other wilderness areas to locate missing people and aid individuals in distress or danger.
There are extreme circumstances when rescue operations are justifiable. Unfortunately, they are becoming increasingly common as tourists take on more adventure than they can handle and necessitate emergency rescues, which put responders and possibly bystanders at risk.
On Reddit, a user posted video of an emergency rescue they witnessed in the Grand Canyon.
"How often are people rescued?" the original poster wondered. "Everyone was so calm and acted like it's an everyday thing."
According to the National Park Service, more than 250 people are rescued from the Grand Canyon yearly, so it is almost an everyday thing.
The volume of emergency rescues is concerning because it strains park system personnel and resources. Park rangers are often already stretched thin, and the risky behavior of just one person can put others' safety in danger.
Park rules and boundaries are in place for good reasons, such as protecting the ecosystem, native wildlife, and people who are fortunate to experience it. For example, Grand Canyon National Park advises: "WARNING: There are no easy trails into or out of the Grand Canyon!" and "DO NOT attempt to hike from the rim to the river and back in one day, especially during the months of May to September."
Without frequent unnecessary rescues, national park staff could focus on providing educational programs, monitoring trail conditions, and making parks more eco-friendly, accessible, and inclusive.
"Over the past two weekends, they've done around 50 'hiker assists' and 19 evacuations, mostly by helicopter," one Redditor shared in the comments. "Respect the canyon, people."
"Grand Canyon is one of the only parks that has a helicopter flying 365 days a year, and a preventative search and rescue program," another Redditor added. "PSAR are usually stationed on the trail to help people struggling, make sure people have enough water and talk people out of bad decisions. They save hundreds of lives just talking to people."
A Reddit commenter who mentioned an upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon and their worry about the heat proposed a solution, writing, "Going to bring a lot of water and trying to figure out how to bring some ice in pack with rags or something."
Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
