HURRICANE, Utah — Search and rescue teams in southern Utah are reporting a significant increase in emergency calls over the past month as warmer temperatures arrived earlier than usual in the region.
"We've actually had more search and rescues this month than we have the rest of the year," said Sgt. Jacob Paul, a commander with Washington County Sheriff's Search and Rescue. "We've been averaging about one a day. Some days we're getting a lot more than that. We had three just this last Friday."
The uptick includes numerous off-road vehicle rescues in the area.
"Now that happens all the time," Paul explained. "Two to three a week that we get of people up on the mountain there that end up getting in accidents. People are a lot more comfortable going faster than they should be."
WATCH: Head of southern Utah search and rescue team retires after suffering heart attack
The dangers of the desert became tragically apparent this week. On Monday, rescue teams in Kane County found the body of 67-year-old Neal Mower, who had been missing in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park since last Thursday. At Zion National Park on Sunday, rescuers assisted a person who fell approximately 30 feet in the Pine Creek drainage area.
Paul noted that the unseasonably warm weather is contributing to the problem.
"It's abnormally hot for this time of year, so we're seeing people that aren't prepared for the weather. They don't have the proper clothing. They don't have enough water really is the biggest issue," he said. "One of the most common calls that we get is people taking one 16-ounce water bottle and thinking that's enough for a 10-mile hike."
With Easter weekend marking the beginning of peak season for search and rescue operations, the team's resources are being stretched thin. The Washington County team consists of four full-time deputies and 100 volunteers.
"At times, we get so many search and rescues going on that we don't have the personnel to deal with all of it," Paul said.
Water safety is another critical concern for rescuers. Paul emphasized the importance of life jackets, particularly for children.
"I can honestly say I've never recovered somebody in a life jacket," he noted. "They're always really hard calls to deal with. The majority of them, unfortunately, are people that decide to not have their kids wear life jackets, and a lot of them are preventable accidents that could have been avoided with that one simple safety item."
Despite the challenges, Paul and his team remain committed to helping those in need while urging visitors to take proper precautions.
"I mean, we're here to help and that's what we're here for," he said. "There's a lot of the calls that we go on that could be prevented just from people taking some simple steps to prepare."
