Texas Rescue Patrol braces for July 4th at Red Sands amid pandemic

EL PASO, Texas -- The Texas Rescue Patrol is playing things by ear this year as Independence Day weekend rolls around amid an global pandemic.

“We have never had these orders in place, so we are just going to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Chief Jamil Moutran told ABC-7.

Moutran said they’ve seen upwards of 5,000 to 10,000 people in the dunes of Red Sands in far east El Paso, sometimes even more.

“It gets really, really congested,” he said. “We don’t anticipate we will have as many people that we have had in past Fourth of July’s but we do feel we will receive significant amounts of people when compared to a normal weekend.”

The entrance to Red Sands is currently barricaded with a ‘Road Closed’ sign.

“Our job here is to provide rescue services and help people, we are not here to provide any enforcement of bans, social distancing or the barricades for that matter,” Moutran said.

ABC-7 contacted an avid outdoorsman, who is planning on visiting Red Sands this holiday weekend. Off-road enthusiast, Shawn Llorca, is planning on taking his family to the dunes and meeting co-workers and neighbors to celebrate the holiday.

“We are thinking about doing a cookout, popping off some fireworks, playing in the sand and just enjoying ourselves,” he said.

Llorca is aware there may be several dozens at the dunes this weekend, however he doesn’t seem too concerned. “ We will be social distancing, I mean Red Sands is a huge area. I don’t have to worry about counting feet,” he said. He added, “ I can be a mile away form the next group if I want to.”

With the vast miles of dunes and an unknown number of people flocking to Red Sands this weekend, Texas Rescue is taking precautions to stay safe amid this pandemic.

“[Personal protective equipment] starts with wearing gloves. All of our volunteers are required to wear gloves on their person. We also provide our volunteers personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, face shields and if they need to, gowns,” he explained.

Llorca said he’s seen Texas Rescue Patrol respond to calls on his adventures. “It does make me feel better knowing they are out there, because they are out there to help,” he said.

Moutran offered advice to those venturing to the dunes this weekend, “use common sense don't put your family at risk for a few hours of fun and enjoyment. Follow the local ordinances and county orders that were established by our local officials.”

And Llorca added his two-cents, “If anyone is going out to Red Sands make sure you pack out what you pack in.”