Sworn
Reserve Deputies
Sworn Los Angeles County Sheriff's reserve deputies, paid $1 a year, who bring law-enforcement authority to searches and evidence recovery.
About the team
It started with one boy in Loop Canyon.
On the night of January 27, 1957, local volunteers rescued a boy in rugged Loop Canyon, in the foothills north of Sylmar. The Santa Clarita Valley Search and Rescue Team was formed that night.
From a handful of volunteers to a Sheriff's rescue team
After that first rescue, the group set up programs to get the training and equipment it needed, with special emphasis on first aid and mountain climbing.
Today that original group has become a highly trained, well-disciplined search and rescue team. Headquartered at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, it is made up of Reserve Deputies and high-risk civilian volunteers, and is one of eight similar teams in Los Angeles County.
The team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and also answers mutual-aid requests from other teams across Los Angeles County and the state.
Our members' backgrounds range from school teachers to contractors, from film directors to rocket scientists. Despite demanding day jobs, they form a cohesive unit that can respond to an emergency at a moment's notice.
Milestones
- 1957
Team forms after the Loop Canyon rescue.
- Today
One of eight Sheriff's search and rescue teams in Los Angeles County.
- Every year
Mountain Rescue Association recertification alongside other Southern California teams.
- 4,833
Hours of volunteer service to the valley last year.
Two ways to serve
Who's on the team
EMT certified
Every member is an Emergency Medical Technician.
MRA certified
The team recertifies with the Mountain Rescue Association every year.
Trained monthly
Rope rescue, navigation, patient care and swift water, all year round.
