Rescue Team Responds to Incidents Across San Gabriel Valley

Fallen Hiker, Chantry Flat:

The team was called to Chantry Flat to aid a hiker who had fallen in an off-trail location. SMSR members responded to the site with a backpack-sized medical kit and determined the patient had fallen from a cliff approximately 40 feet high, suffering extensive injuries.

EMT-certified Team members treated and stabilized the patient, who was evacuated via litter wheel-out to an ambulance at Chantry Flat.

Overdue Hiker:

Montrose Search and Rescue notified SMSR that it was searching for an overdue hiker who was believed to be heading toward Sierra Madre.

The team launched a comprehensive search of area trails, sending several crews into the field on foot and in vehicles. An SMSR crew located the subject in good condition and escorted them to family members waiting at Chantry Flat.

Heat Exhaustion, Big Santa Anita Canyon:

SMSR responded to a report of a hiker in distress near Hoegee’s Camp in Big Santa Anita Canyon. The hiker was determined to be suffering from heat-related illness and was treated by paramedics from the , and EMT-certified Search and Rescue Team members. The patient was then evacuated to an ambulance waiting at Chantry Flat.

In response to this incident, SMSR Medical Committee Chair Tommy Ingulfsen offered advice for avoiding heat exhaustion during the summer months.

The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that has been serving the local community for 60 years. SMSR is funded entirely by donations and never charges for any of its services. 

This article was submitted to Patch by Alex Dundas, member of the .