CBP agents practice heat safety as temperatures expected to soar

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- For weeks triple-digits temperatures have impacted Borderland residents, and with scorching weather expected to ramp up this week, law enforcement officials are taking precautions.

Fidel Baca, Customs and Border Protection agent in the El Paso Sector, tells ABC-7 they make sure the agent has all the necessary tools.

"We want to give them the tools to be safe, such as sunblock, and a hydration packets. We want to make sure that they're wearing long sleeves, that they have the head gear necessary to protect them from the sun," he said.

From agents on horseback to K-9 units, the agency says each crew has ways to keep cool like staying in the air-conditioned unit with their canine partner, carrying extra water on horseback, and taking more breaks.

Baca said in the El Paso sector, with this heat, they have already responded to over 330 heat related rescues.

Not only is the heat dangerous for the agents, but also for the people they come into contact with. That is why Baca said they have implemented rescue beacons along the border.

"We have 17 of them strategically placed across the sector in remote areas, places where it's kind of hard to get to, where there is going to be less agents in those areas during the nighttime." "It has a light up on top to draw the attention of migrants that are around the desert,” he said.

Once migrants click the button on the beacon, it will alert authorities that someone is in need and provide them with an exact location.

“We want to make it clear that here in the El Paso sector Border Patrol, we're doing everything we can to reduce the number of casualties, reduce the number of rescues out there. Why? Because we don't want the migrants to put themselves in harms way," said Baca.