Pine-Strawberry Fire District
P.O. Box 441  Pine, Arizona 85544
Phone: (928) 476-4272  Fax: (928) 476-4634
Website: www.pine-strawberryfire.com
NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Fire Chief Gary Morris
602-803-7366
2 July 2015
Increasing Numbers of Rescues in Fossil Creek Raising Public Safety Concerns
Over the last few years, visitors to Fossil Creek, near Strawberry, Arizona, has
increased substantially. As a result, during the summer months, more and more
of these visitors are experiencing an ever increasing number of serious heat
related emergencies and other injuries (i.e. fracture ankles) requiring rescue.
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The situation is creating an evolving public safety crisis. First, unprepared hikers
are experiencing serious heat related medical emergencies that could be fatal and
are avoidable. Second, the increasing number of rescues is striping the PineStrawberry Fire District of onduty personnel, leaving the two communities with
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In the four weeks since Memorial Day weekend the Pine-Strawberry Fire District
has responded to 14 medical emergencies in Fossil Creek and encountered nearly
30 patients. The Tonto Rim Search and Rescue Squad has been called out on 8
rescue missions to assist medical personnel, and the Gila County Sheriff’s Office
Mounted Posse has assisted 69 heat stressed hikers, some taken out on
horseback. In addition Gila County Sheriff deputies have packed in cases of water
dozens of times to assist more than a hundred of heat stressed hikers who were
out of water.
reduced protection. It’s also placing a substantial burden on volunteer search and
rescue crews.
Hikers are unaware of a difficult hike facing them
Google searches and YouTube videos about Fossil Creek do not describe the
rigorous 8 mile round trip summertime hike and the 100 plus degree
temperatures facing hikers, nor the difficulty of the 4 mile hike out with a 1,400
foot elevation gain – which is greater elevation gain than climbing Camelback
Mountain in Phoenix. Most visitors are arriving believing the road will bring them
to the stream bank of Fossil Creek, or it’s a short couple hundred yard walk to the
creek, and they are not prepared for the rigorous hike in hot weather.
Most of these rescues are directly related to lack long distant hiking experience
and lack of adequate fitness and preparation of hikers. Key factors are lack of
adequate water (1 gallon minimum is recommended), improper footwear (flip
flops are guaranteed to cause blisters), inadequate clothing (shorts and bikinis
expose the body to serious sun and heat – quickening heat exhaustion and
producing serious sunburns). An older age, overweight and lack of fitness are also
contributing factors.
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Rescue incidents routinely involve multiple agencies and the rescue effort takes
multiple hours to complete, often 5 hours or more from notification to delivery of
the patient to an ambulance. It will be another hour before the patient is
delivered to the hospital in Payson. Additionally, on some rescues missions,
rescuers often come across other hikers in serious distress, creating a multipatient incident, requiring additional rescue personnel and extending evacuation
times. Nearly all the rescuers are volunteers working for the Gila County Sheriff’s
Office – the Tonto Rim Search and Rescue Squad and the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.
The increasing number of “call outs” to rescue hikers is placing a heavy burden on
these volunteers, and they may not be available to respond
Background on Fossil Creek
Water for Fossil Creek is produced by 1 million gallons per hour of water pouring
from the Fossil Creek “Springs”. The primary access to the Fossil Creek Springs is
through Strawberry. Fossil Creek Road in Strawberry leads to the “Upper Trail
Head to Fossil Springs”. From the trail head, hikers face an 8 plus mile round trip
hike that can consume 5 hours of just hiking. It’s a 4 mile (2 hour) hike one way
down and, in summer, a very difficult 4 mile (3 plus hour), 1,400 foot climb back
out (more than Camelback Mountain). Summer temperatures on the trail exceed
100 degrees daily. The trail faces southwest which leaves the hiker completely
exposed to the afternoon sun, making the hike even more difficult. There is no
shade on the trail.
Special Note:
The Fossil Creek Water Fall is located three miles downstream from the “Springs”
and can only be accessed from Camp Verde. It cannot be accessed from
Strawberry or the road leading to the Fossil Creek Springs trailhead. Forest Service
Road 708 (the extension of Fossil Creek Road in Strawberry) that use to lead
downhill from the upper trailhead to the lower Fossil Creek area where the water
fall is located was closed by the Forest Service four years ago due to deteriorating
road conditions. Yet, many GPS systems tend to route visitors seeking the water
fall through Strawberry to the gate at this closed road. Visitors arriving at the
heavily reinforced gate blocking the road will be disappointed. For those that
might consider hiking to the water fall on this road from the gate, the hike is just
as grueling as the Fossil Springs trail. It’s also an 8 mile, 5 hour round trip with
1,500 of elevation gain and no shade. The Pine-Strawberry Fire District has
rescued many hikers hiking back up this road.
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There is no cellular service in Fossil Springs. To report an emergency a caller must
proceed up the trail some distance to find service. Cell service on the trail is
patchy an unreliable. Once connected to 9-1-1 dispatch center, it could be 2 hours
or more before rescuers can arrive on site with the patient. (Volunteers must be
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Rescue is not rapid
notified and respond from home). Once on scene, rescuers must next deal with an
incapacitated patient. If the patient cannot walk they are placed on a “Big Wheel”
litter (a wire basket litter with a large wheel which is pulled up the trail by
rescuers). The total rescue time often exceeds 5 hours, plus another hour to reach
the hospital in Payson.
Recent Rescues
Fossil Springs Upper Trailhead
On the evening of Monday, June 8th at 5:08 PM, Pine Strawberry Fire District
Ambulance 421 was dispatched to the upper trailhead of Fossil Springs for a heat
exhausted male on the trail. Before the night was over, the two member fire crew
encountered four separate medical emergencies and hiked down and back up the
4 mile long trail three times. The emergencies were a combination of heat
exhaustion and severe blisters to hikers wearing flip-flops. In one case, one male
gave his shoes to his girlfriend who had blistered feet from flip flops and he was
attempting to hike out barefoot. The paramedics cut up a towel and used duct
tape to create a moccasin type shoe for him. The last two rescues were conducted
in the dark. The Gila County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse used two horses to carry out
two female patients – both heat exhausted and blistered from flip flops. All the
patients had very little water and were ill equipped to hike the trail. All rescues
were completed just after midnight. These multiple rescues occurred on a day
with the temperature of only 91 degrees. When temperatures rise above 100
degrees the Fire District expects prepares for more rescues.
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On June 11th, at 9:05 PM Pine Strawberry Fire District Ambulance 421 was
dispatched to at reported male subject with a dislocated hip on the Fossil Creel
Water Fall Trail. A 28 year old male had leapt off the top of the fall and injured
himself. Because of the location and reported nature of the injury, the Tonto Rim
Search and Rescue Squad were also requested. Pine Strawberry paramedics
reached the patient at 10:23 PM. The Rescue Squad arrived with a “big wheel”
litter at 10:50 PM. The patient arrived at the parked ambulance at 12:15 AM and
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Fossil Creek Water Fall
was transported to the Payson Regional Medical Center where he was also
diagnosed with a fractured pelvis.
These two rescues illustrate the difficulties of rescue in the wilderness. Little cell
service is available to report an emergency which delays the response of rescuers.
Travel distances further delay arrival to the patient. Then there are the difficulties
of carrying an incapacitated patient through rough terrain which extends the time
to complete a rescue.
Partnerships
There has been a coordinated effort on weekends and holidays this summer to
allow access to the Fossil Springs Trail to only those hikers properly prepared for
the rigorous hike. Additionally, the Coconino Forest is responsible for the Fossil
Creek area and once the parking area is full at the Upper Trailhead of Fossil
Springs (about 40 vehicles) Forest Service employees close the trailhead and turn
around any new arrivals until a slot opens. A similar approach is used at the Water
Fall parking area. Additionally, volunteer members of the Gila County Sheriff’s
Mounted Posse, are positioned at the trailhead to interview and evaluate arriving
hikers to ensure they have proper footwear, clothing, and adequate water. These
two efforts have substantially reduced rescue responses to the trail. Furthermore,
the Pine Strawberry Fire District has created information leaflets which are placed
at Uncle Tom’s convenience store in Pine and the Strawberry Market in
Strawberry, and at the trailhead, to provide factual information to arriving visitors
about what’s required for the hike (gallon of water, no flip-flops). Dozens are
taken each weekend.
To determine the status on parking at the Fossil Springs trail head, or to obtain
other information on Fossil Creek, visitors can call 928-226-4611.
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The Pine Strawberry Fire District is the closest available emergency medical
service. On duty staffing is 5 firefighters. Rescues in Fossil Creek require two or
more firefighters to respond, stripping the Pine-Strawberry communities of public
safety protection. Fossil Springs is also located outside the fire district boundaries
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Pine-Strawberry Fire District
further straining services. At times, the fire district has no personnel available to
send to a wilderness rescue due to other emergency activity.
Costs for Rescue
Hikers face a bill for rescue services rendered by the Pine Strawberry Fire District.
A 3 hour rescue and transport to the hospital will cost them $2,833. Additional
hours to complete a rescue will be bill at $325 per hour. Fees are necessary to
cover the cost of the fire district re-calling off duty firefighters to staff emergency
vehicles while other firefighters are committed to a lengthy rescue incident. If the
patient’s medical condition requires a helicopter evacuation to a hospital, the “lift
off” fee is $25,000 and $300 per air mile.
Goal of news release
The goal of the news release is to provide the public in the Valley important
information about Fossil Creek that will allow them to properly prepare for a trip
and be safe while on the trail.
Assistance to reporters
The Pine Strawberry Fire District would welcome reporters on site to do a story. If
desired, staff will escort reporters to the trail head and down the trail to the
Springs. Weekends would be the best to reflect the true situation. Staff can
arrange interviews with Coconino Forest Service Officials, the Gila County Sheriff’s
Office, and the commanders of Tonto Rim Search and Rescue Squad, and the
Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.
Photo’s
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Multiple members of the Tonto Rim Search and Rescue Squad begin to move a
patient in a “Big Wheel” liter. The photo illustrates the number of rescuers
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Photo 1. Day time photo
required to load and move a patient injured on the trail. Photograph courtesy of
Alexis Beckman, Payson Roundup Newspaper.
Photo 2 Nighttime Photo
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Rescuers move injured patient into an awaiting ambulance following a three hour
nighttime rescue. Photograph courtesy of Pine Strawberry Fire District.
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