La Canada Flintridge : Rescue Team Honored
The La Canada Kiwanis A.M. Club has honored the Montrose Search and Rescue Team for its outstanding volunteer service to the community.
Mayor James T. Edwards, a 20-year veteran of the team, and Alex Kirkaldy, the team’s current captain, received the recognition Sept. 29 on behalf of the crew, said John Hollingsworth, who was voted Kiwanian of the year, the highest honor given to a club member for civic service.
Founded in 1953 by a group of former Air Raid Wardens who rescued lost or injured people, the team later became affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Today, it is one of eight volunteer search and rescue teams in the department.
The team covers 450 square miles of the Angeles National Forest and has an active roster of 24 members. Since 1970, when the team began to keep records, members have donated more than 60,000 hours of service and saved the county an estimated $1.9 million.
Every team member is a reserve Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, has Mountain Rescue Assn. Certification and is trained as an emergency medical technician. The men and women on the team average 40 years in age, and average 14 years of tenure.
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