Sheriff's Volunteers To Get Extreme at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

Did you know that the Sheriff's Department has a Search and Rescue Division that will answer the call anytime and anywhere someone in the county goes missing—all for free?

But to be a part of that group, those interested must pass a grueling test involving heavy packs and a strict time limit.

Volunteers are the driving force behind the Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) Division and this weekend, new volunteers will join 80 current members of the division in a qualifying hike at the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.

The Sheriff's Department said volunteers must complete an 8‐mile hike with a 20-pound backpack and water in less than 3.5 hours.

Hikes like this must be completed once a year in order to stay field qualified for the SAR. The division's K‐9, Mounted and Medical Units will also participate in the training, the sheriff's department said in a press release.

The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue is an all‐volunteer unit. They perform wilderness and urban rescues and search for missing persons, according to the sheriff's department..

The hikers will take to the mountain on Jan. 19 at 12020 Black Mountain Road from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Base Camp is at the Ranch House.

Want to be a volunteer in SAR? Read more about this program on the sheriff's website here.