Phoenix firefighters using drone to help distressed hikers

0 December 12, 2025 22:16

Phoenix Fire Department crews completed their first weight-bearing drone rescue this week during a 13-hour overnight operation on Camelback Mountain, marking a new milestone for Valley first responders.

The rescue involved using a drone to deliver life-saving supplies to a distressed hiker at the top of Camelback Mountain while crews worked on a plan to safely bring him down.

“What can we use this for and really, the sky and no pun intended, the sky is the limit,” said Phoenix Fire Capt. Mike Johnson.

The drone carried a cellphone, food, water and a blanket to the stranded hiker during the rescue operation.

“It allowed us to be able to communicate with him, let him know what our plan was, make sure if he was OK and if there were any other needs and allowed us to get a bird’s eye view of where he was,” Johnson said.

Phoenix Fire operates Drone 1, a mobile station where crews launch and monitor their drones during emergency calls. Johnson said the tools help firefighters get a visual on dangerous or hard-to-reach areas.

Steven Sarabia reports.

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