The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team is staffed by reserve Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies (all volunteer). The organization's goals are saving lives through mountain rescue and safety education. Headquartered at the Altadena Sheriff's Station, near the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...

, the team is operational 24 hours each day, 365 days every year. It is one of eight teams in the

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

which, together, are staffed by 120 trained members.

About

Established in 1951, it is the oldest organization of its kind in

. The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to saving lives through mountain rescue and safety education. It has been a member unit of the Sheriff's Department Reserve Forces Bureau since 1956. Headquartered at the Altadena Sheriff's Station, the team is staffed by reserve deputies and is operational 24 hours each day, 365 days every year. It is one of eight teams in the Los Angeles County which, together, are staffed by 120 trained members. On the average, the Altadena Mountain rescue Team assists approximately 100 lost or injured hikers and conducts almost 40 searches and rescues every year. In addition to those rescues within Los Angeles County, the team has also participated in rescue operations throughout California, and in New York, Hawaii, and Mexico. The team conducts weekend patrols of the mountain areas within its jurisdiction, namely the 20 canyons behind Altadena and Pasadena. Members are assigned weekend duty on a rotating basis, which averages once every month. These patrols ensure a quick response to emergencies during a time when they are most likely to occur, and serve as a means of fire prevention and mountain safety. Mountain rescue team members come from all walks of life. The professional occupations of volunteer members have included: teachers, paramedics, construction contractors, lawyers, registered nurses, chiropractors, mechanical and electronic engineers, physician assistants, police officers, firemen, and corporate managers. As a nonprofit corporation, the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team is governed by a five-member Board of Directors. Each member is elected during an annual election and serves a one-year term. The positions comprising the board are: President (Captain), Vice President (Lieutenant), Secretary Ops (Sergeant), Quartermaster (Sergeant), and Public Relations Chairman (Sergeant).

References

Official Altadena Search and Rescue website
Mountain rescue agencies Altadena, California San Gabriel Mountains Organizations based in Los Angeles County, California Non-profit organizations based in California