"The demonstration came at a time when all eyes are on the summit for the firefall viewing event " a phenomenon that unfolds in February when Horsetail Falls, a seasonal waterfall on the east side of El Capitan, takes on an orange, lava-like glow as the sun sets. The event attracts a flurry of photographers who wait hours for the perfect shot."

Alex Wild, a former Yosemite and the only certified EMT ranger at Devils Postpile National Monument in California, told NBC's Morgan Chesky last week: "I'm the only person available to rescue someone, to do CPR, to carry them out from a trail if they got injured."