Hiking into the Grand Canyon this time of year is popular, but dangerous because remote areas and high temperatures can make search and rescue efforts difficult. First responders are further hampered by old technology, slowing down rescue efforts.
Summer temperatures and increased visitors can put a strain on personnel and resources used for search and rescue missions. The park has seen a 25 percent increase in visitors and an additional 250,000 cars since January.
“It was something like 110 degrees down in the canyon, and we got slammed yesterday," said CJ Malcolm, ranger paramedic and the Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) supervisor. "Few days before that it wasn’t so hot, and we weren't slammed. So, the strongest relationship between search and rescue events and calls for assistance is weather.”
While digital radios are the current lifeline of immediate communication between first responders and emergency services on the rim — they still have limitations.
“Right now with our current radios, 30 percent of the transmissions are not going through, and that’s a big deal when you are in emergency services,” Malcom said.
This prompted nonprofit partner Grand Canyon Association (GCA) to try and replace some of the dated technology. Helen Ranney with GCA said they are trying to raise over $100,000 for things such as new radios and electronic preventative signage.
“The public now are very intune to electronic devices," said Ranney. "And they go right by some of those printed warning signs that are there on the bulletin boards.”
Electronic bulletin boards can show real-time data in multiple languages since 40 percent of the park’s visitors are international. Communication technology has come a long way at the canyon. Ken Phillips has been in search and rescue for over 30 years. He said his early days were not easy.
“We’d fly off in the helicopter and as we descend out into a remote section of Grand Canyon, we would basically say goodbye on the radio," said Phillips. "You’re going to the dark side of the moon. That’s really not the way to do business as an emergency responder.”
The Grand Canyon is a remote wilderness with many peaks, valleys and ridges. It eats up and blocks radio signals. Phillips said some communication technology has improved at the canyon, though mostly well above it.
“Park wide radio system only reaches a small percentage of the back country and having satellite phones is a critical communication tool for emergency responders," Phillips said. "They can reach the hospital and be in direct contact with a physician.”
But Grand Canyon infrastructure is still dated. Telephone lines in-canyon are older than lines coming from outside the park. These lines, which canyon weather and medical stations are linked to, fail often. This October, Malcolm is looking to collect data on possible line-of-sight digital transmission, testing popular points on and in the canyon.
“If that’s a successful test, we’re gonna beef that up to see if we can get voice and data," said Malcolm. "So, we can now use a wireless signal which makes perfect sense, it’s only maybe a mile and a half, line of sight, down to these stations, to get voice connection and data connection and our weather stations connected."
