Sheriff’s officials report missing hikers, rescue and injury calls in March

March was a busy month for the Montrose Search & Rescue Team, which responded to a total of 14 calls for assistance in local mountains, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported Monday.

The team responded to or assisted in nine search calls, largely for hikers gone missing or who were overdue. Members also performed five rescue missions, including saving an injured mountain biker, a cliffhanger and a horseback rider who’d gone off the side of the road.

Two rescue calls involved vehicles that had careened off parts of the Angeles Crest Highway and Little Tujunga Canyon and required extrication. So far this quarter, there have been 37 calls, compared to 20 in the same quarter last year, according to the sheriff’s report.

The Montrose Search & Rescue team comprises local community members who are sworn as reserve deputies as well as high-risk volunteer members of the Sheriff’s Department. The group is open to anyone willing to volunteer their time saving lives and reuniting lost hikers with their families.

Those interested in learning more are welcome to attend a monthly meeting, held the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, 4554 Briggs Avenue, in La Crescenta. For more information, call (818) 248-3464.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com. Follow Sara Cardine on Twitter: @SaraCardine.

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