Saving lives, because they can

YOU’VE just settled on the sofa and tuned in to “Desperate Housewives” when the phone rings -- a hiker is lost and possibly injured in the San Gabriel Mountains. Or maybe a flash flood has stranded a group of campers, or a car’s plunged off a cliff. The San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team, a voluntary group affiliated with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, responds to calls like these about 60 times a year, and it seeks applicants. The job is not for the faint of heart: Team members go through about two years of rigorous training (although they can begin responding to calls sooner). Training includes tracking, mountaineering, climbing, rappelling, snow and ice rescues, victim extractions, assisting in helicopter rescues and emergency medical technician instruction. You can also qualify as a reserve sheriff’s deputy if you pass a background check. Not everyone makes it through -- perhaps only two of 12 applicants stick out the class to the end, says Deputy David Smail, coordinator for the rescue team. Beyond the physical rigors, the time commitment is great. “We are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We do ask people to drop what they’re doing to go out there and save somebody.” The payoff? “You save lives,” Smail says. “It’s a great feeling.” There are other ways to help; the team needs people to maintain its website and help with fundraising. Volunteers must be 21 to 54 years old, in good health and steadily employed, with no criminal record. For more information, attend an 8 a.m. meeting Nov. 12 at 114 E. 1st St., San Dimas, visit www.sdmrt.com or call Smail at (909) 394-4705.

-- Carolyn Kimball