People die in the Grand Canyon every year. So far this year that number is up to 11 — above average for the park.
But there is an entire team of people there who work to stop that from happening. It’s called Preventive Search and Rescue, or PSAR, and they are tasked with trying to teach people how to prepare and plan for a hike in the Canyon and to rescue them when there are emergencies — a task Meghan Smith told me is not always possible.
Smith coordinates the team and spoke with The Show more about their work — and the need for it.
MEGHAN SMITH: The team began in the late-90s, but the park knew that it needed to do something different. They were averaging a board of 4 to 5 trail deaths or heat-related deaths per year and it was just not sustainable for the staff they had at the time. Rangers from the inner canyon weren't able to get to their duty station locations. They were just stuck out on the trail in this endless loop helping people all day into the night and the South Rim rangers were having to go down, leave their duty location and their otherwise important work to go down trail and offer assistance.
So, they entered in this team in the lat-90s, early 2000s were starting to formalize more. The team was growing now. It hovers around 60 to 70 volunteers and one permanent ranger and between seven and nine permanent rangers.
LAUREN GILGER: So it sounds like there were, you know, many issues with the dangers of hiking in the Grand Canyon then. But have you seen, have you seen this ramp up? Like we, we keep getting reports now of hikers being rescued or even dying in the Grand Canyon because of the heat. Like has that really changed the operation there?
SMITH: You know, I'm glad that you asked specifically that question because the messaging when I look back at old archives and old data and I'm doing research, the messaging hasn't changed a whole lot. Know your limitations, don't hike between 10 and 4, pack and be prepared, have a contingency plan. I look back at these bullets and the font in which they're written has changed a whole lot but not the messaging.
GILGER: Have you seen more people getting themselves into tough situations and needing assistance or even rescuing?
SMITH: Yeah, we're not seeing maybe more calls for service. We're still hovering around about 350 missions per year. But what is changing is the situation. People are calling us for more benign things. I would say that people's understanding of what a true emergency is, is very interesting and open for interpretation.
GILGER: What kinds of things do they call for?
SMITH: No, we've had people that call us because they're afraid of the dark. We have people that call us because their cell phone’s out of batteries, it could be hazardous. We, we understand and I don't mean to make light of it. We do take people's calls seriously, but we're faced with triaging those and the risk that I want people to understand is we can get fatigued. And if we increase that call volume on an ever shrinking staff, then when the serious call comes in, we might miss something. We might not be at the top of our game. We might be suffering from compassion, fatigue and we're not able to be at our best or we might be extending resources in the wrong location for something that's more benign and not able then to pivot efficiently and go to the really serious thing that, that we would otherwise want to be at or know that we need to be at.
GILGER: That's really interesting. So that's not the change I expected to hear you talk about. Talk about when it does get serious and the rescues that you have to make like, can you always rescue people in the Grand Canyon?
SMITH: No, in fact, I've been down there overnight with quite seriously injured or ill people and Overnighting somebody that really does need to be flown out and get to surgery or get to the ICU. Those are tenuous circumstances to be in. That's really where you kind of test yourself as a provider and a rescuer and your team. And, and you understand, if you're right for this work or not. We get stuck out and, and that's a reality. Being able to explain to the visitor or your patient or your patient's family, what that means and the why behind it, it could be the weather conditions, wind conditions, it could be light. We just don't fly at night. It could be our resources.
There's all sorts of things that would lead us to not being able to come and rescue you or come and rescue you as immediately as maybe you would want or your situation might require.
GILGER: Right. I mean, do you think that people have an understanding of that? Like so many millions of people go to the Grand Canyon every year, right. And like, I'm sure a lot of them do a hike or, or attempt to, or do some of a hike, right. Like, is there a sense that this is a fun thing that millions of people do, so it's gonna be fine, you think, and people don't really understand the real risks?
SMITH: Yeah, there's definitely an air of not me, not today, you know, kind of some denial. One of the things that we train our staff here about is this trifecta we are for better or worse very closely in relational to Las Vegas and to Disneyland in California. And you'd think, well, what does that have to do with anything? But if a visitor is coming from across the world and they're going to visit those other two locations, which by the way, are wonderful locations. They're very strategically manicured and managed for safety. That's not the case here at the Grand Canyon.
You have to make those risk management decisions all on your own without walkways and red lights and conveyor belts and escalators and all of those things. So if you've been traveling and you're in the wrong mindset and you come here one misstep near the edge could be catastrophe or a short hike that just should just be just out for a couple hours turns into a big, a big deal.
GILGER: Wow, that's, I mean, you want people to be able to come there, right? Like though. So it's an interesting tension because I'm sure you love the Grand Canyon. I'm sure you appreciate the place and want to share it with all of these people from all over the world who come. But it sounds like, I mean, you, you almost want people to come and, and do this in a, in a certain way, like with a, a certain attitude, is it respectful? Is there a tiny smidge of fear you would like people to have?
SMITH: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, those would all be more self protective and I think with caution and awareness, some planning preparedness, it is doable. It is achievable. But you got to be honest with your own limitations and your own abilities.
GILGER: That's really interesting. So tell us like, I know there's a long list of things that you tell people to do and to consider what's at the top of that list. Like, are there things that people just don't think about.
SMITH: The most common is they don't understand that it gets hotter as you go downhill. I didn't know when I got here. I'm from western New York and I didn't even think about this mountain being upside down, so to speak. And so having some supplies with you makes a big difference. I've seen visitors that are able to pull themselves out of a pickle with very little, but at least they brought it with them.
GILGER: Like what? Like what?
SMITH: Oh, duct tape goes a long way. Here when it gets really hot, your shoe soles can melt off your feet. Imagine trying to hike on a really hot surface. That's, that's pokey with rocks and, you know, cactus needles and things and now you don't have any shoes because the glue is melted and your shoe delaminated. So, having just a small school of duct tape, having basic first aid supplies, having your medications that you take on a daily basis. One of the best teachers here is Mother Nature and exponential learning. We give the information, we hope that they take our advice. But ultimately, some people just really need to go learn the hard way or get through it, prove to themselves that they can do it.
The one exception there I would say is when there are children or animals involved. We want people to participate in their public lands. We don't want to be gatekeeping in any manner. But there's just some scenarios that we have been here doing this work long enough, we know the math isn't gonna add up and end well. Aside from that, they could have a hard hike and still come out a few blisters, maybe a little nausea, maybe some vomiting, healthy respect and then they'll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment and then my hope is that they return and, and get into these spaces a little deeper and have a more successful trip the next time around.
