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Community Corner

Mountain Rescue Team Holds Recruitment Drive

The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team held a membership drive Saturday, Oct. 26, in hopes of bringing more people to the group.

The membership drive took place at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. The organization usually holds a membership drive once or twice a year, said Richard De Leon, captain of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team.

"We like to keep our roster full. As a volunteer organization, we're responding from home, or from work. Sometimes we have people who can't respond because of their work duties, so we try to have a good compliment of people," De Leon said.

Ideally, De Leon would like as many as 40 members to the team. Right now there's only about 20 members.

The time commitment to the group is one of the most difficult aspects of volunteering.

In addition to their normal day jobs, each member is a reserve Sheriff's deputy, De Leon said.

To be considered for a volunteer position, everyone must attend meetings, which are held on the second Thursday of the month. If accepted, new members will begin learning rescue techniques as well as law enforcement training to become a reserve Sheriff's deputy.

The whole process to becoming a full-fledged mountain rescue team member is about three to five years.

"It's a big commitment. It's not a hobby," De Leon said, but everyone enjoys what they do.

"It becomes a way of life. You repel off cliffs, bridges, you play with helicopters and travel in the ice and snow," De Leon said.

Anyone interested in joining can visit the organization's website, amrt.org, and download an application there as well.

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