The county’s Search and Rescue squad, an all-volunteer unit of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, responded to 138 calls in 2012, falling within the average of its 120-140 callouts annually. Last year’s missions included Lookout Fire evacuation and firefighter rescues, the saving of a stranded mother and daughter at Painted Cave, the rescue of a severely injured 9-year-old girl at Tangerine Falls, and searches for a missing man on Santa Cruz Island. Team members also attended 24 training sessions in 2012 on rope and swift-water rescue techniques, helicopter operations, and tracking.
