Border Patrol Battles Heat And Water

A Border Patrol agent’s job requirements can vary from day to day and minute to minute.

They are expected to protect the border and be on the lookout for illegal crossers, but sometimes those same crossers need rescuing from the elements.

As the temperature increases, so does their need for help.

It’s not just illegal immigrants that Border Patrol agents respond to; American citizens can also find themselves at the mercy of the heat.

For remote areas, the Border Patrol uses beacon towers to help rescue those in need, especially those stranded in remote areas.

“If somebody is in distress they can go up to this tower and it basically sits on the ground, there is a button that they push and it sends a signal to our camera room and they will then in turn tell the agents that the beacon has been activated and the agents will then respond out to the area,” said Border Patrol Agent Scott Hayes.

That’s why it’s important for agents out in the field to be prepared with supplies to deal with those suffering from heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“All of your agents out in the field are at least going to have some type of a supply of water, especially the ones that are working the the more remote areas where water and heat become a problem. And we also have a lot of agents that are trained as EMTs and they are going to have a lot more specialized equipment,” said Hayes.

That includes IVs to administer fluids to those suffering from extreme dehydration, first aid kits and even snack bars for victims of the heat.

Water rescues are also something agents must always be prepared for.

“If we do find out that there is somebody in the canal or in the river, whatever the case may be, we have boxes where we can go get equipment out and we are trained to be able to pull those people out of the canals,” said Hayes.

Agents said it doesn’t matter where a person is from when it comes to a rescue, just that they save a life.