The rescued hiker commended the flight crew for operating safely along steep and hazardous terrain during the multi-agency operation.
"And they were really risking their own lives on the edge of that narrow little ledge.
I mean, it was very much just like a razor's edge up there," Keane said.
The department highlighted the cooperative structure between Phoenix Police pilots and Phoenix Fire air rescue technicians. They train together year-round for mountain extractions and swift-water emergencies.
"What the hoist helicopter has done for us is it cuts that three-hour operation sometimes into one hour," said Rob McDade, Fire Captain.
To prevent responder heat exhaustion during lengthy ground extractions, fire leadership established strict daily operational limits for rescue personnel working in extreme conditions.
"The Phoenix Fire Department is properly staffing and overstaffing technical rescue team members knowing that we might have to use multiple personnel," McDade said.
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"We don't want to wear our folks out. Our members are our greatest resource."
Department rules prohibit individual technical rescue personnel from conducting more than two mountain operations per day during extreme summer heat cycles.
"There's no Phoenix Fire technical rescue team member that's going to do more than 2 rescues in a day during the summer," McDade said.
"That's it. They're stopped, they're going home or they're not going up the mountain anymore."
Recent operations on Mummy Mountain highlighted the complex logistics required when access points are steep and terrain makes traditional descents hazardous.
