Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Rescuers urge caution as northern Utah temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees.
- Sheriff Rosie Rivera emphasizes preparation to prevent heat exhaustion and related emergencies.
- Residents should hydrate, bring supplies and avoid peak heat from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY — Rescuers were urging caution and calling for preparedness this week ahead of a weekend warmup in which temperatures were expected to surge well above 100 degrees.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said her volunteer search and rescue teams had been extremely busy already as they responded to calls where people went to the outdoors ill-equipped and unprepared for conditions.
"There are days where we have four 'callouts' a day," Rivera said. "It's a lot."
She said with temperatures forecast to approach 105 degrees by Sunday, it was imperative people prepare for the heat.
"It can be extreme, and you can have heat exhaustion very fast," Rivera said.
She reminded that warning signs included lightheadedness and fatigue, and if those symptoms manifest, it's important to tell someone and find shade to cool down.
Preparation, she said, should include hydrating ahead of time, bringing plenty of snacks and supplies and bringing a charged cell phone.
Rivera also recommended that people not go out alone and that they inform someone where they're headed, and to avoid the peak sunshine and heat between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
"We don't want to have to be the ones that have to go pick you up off the sidewalk if you're out running or in the middle of the road or up in a canyon," Rivera said.
On the west face of the Grandeur Peak Trail Tuesday evening, Vince Hancock said he shortens his walks and tries to hike when the sun isn't as intense.
That said, he acknowledged the area can be taxing.
"You're going straight uphill," Hancock said. "You've got the beating-down sun, it's dry, you know. You're at 5,000 feet."
He said he could see how the conditions could catch someone by surprise.
"I think people underestimate how dry it is, how hot it is, and the problem with hiking here is you can also get very fatigued very quickly," Hancock said. "I think people underestimate these conditions all the time."
The sheriff said simply spending extended periods outside can be taxing, as it apparently was for several people who attended a parade over the weekend.
"People started coming up to my truck asking for water," Rivera said. "They weren't prepared. We gave half a cooler of water away because people showed up to walk in a parade with no water."
She called on people to make smart choices in the days to come.
"It's those simple little things you have to do," Rivera said. "You have to take care of yourself and your family."
