ST. GEORGE, Utah — In a recent county commission meeting, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported that nearly 150 people were saved in 2024.
“Nov. 27 through Dec. 31 last year, we had 11 search and rescue calls in that time, 121 man hours,” said Deputy Jacob Paul.
Paul said they did 117 rescues last year and 140 the year before. The sheriff's office started allowing bigger fire and rescue agencies inside their city limits to do search and rescue operations last year.
“That drop is mostly due to that. We're about on par with what we would be before that," Paul said.
Tyson Bradley, the director of guiding with Utah Mountain Adventures, said many Utah visitors and residents don’t always grasp the danger of our mountains, canyons and deserts.
“People get lulled into a sense of complacency at times because it is so easy to get there,” he said. “The interesting thing to report on social media is, ‘I did it in this impressive quick time.’ I think we tend to get lulled into not objectively assessing the challenge, the goal that we have, because we see other people talking about it as if it was pretty easy.”
Bradley recommends always carrying extra layers, a beacon that works, a first aid kit, and wearing proper shoes.
“Everybody should tell somebody their plan, where they're planning to go, somebody they know and trust, and then tell that person when they're down and safe at the end of the day,” he said.
He added that there’s no shame in turning around when you feel unsafe.
“Reward yourself, not only for summits, but also good decisions, like practice bailing,” he said. “We like to say, ‘Don't be afraid to turn back and come back safe and try another day.”
Although there’s lots of information you can find online to plan your own adventure in Utah, there’s a lot of value in going with a guide, he said.
“A guide is going to make sure you've got the right equipment,” said Bradley. “The guide's going to choose a reasonable objective, and the guide is going to be checking on you through the day and assessing your well-being and it's quite possible you're going to be able to accomplish much more than you ever thought was reasonable for yourself with a guide in the mountains: ski bigger lines and travel further and climb more difficult routes.”
