Rep. Adam Schiff Honors LASD Montrose Search & Rescue Team on House Floor for Saving Toddler
Video:
(Note: The below hyperlink to the video is provided for your convenience. The LASD does not endorse products or services).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2T65UpRu4&feature=youtu.be
Rep. Schiff Honors LASD Montrose Search and Rescue Team Member on House Floor
Wednesday July 11, 2012
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) honored the members of Montrose Search and Rescue for their life-saving work during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. In recent weeks, the team has received wide recognition of their heroism for saving a drowning girl in the Angeles National Forest. Schiff’s speech is below:
“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Montrose Search and Rescue team. “For over sixty-five years, Montrose Search and Rescue has been conducting life-saving operations throughout the Angeles National Forest and neighboring areas. These brave men and women have risked their own lives time and time again to rescue stranded hikers, victims of natural disasters, and anyone in need of assistance.
“Two weeks ago, their heroism was on full display. The team spotted a little girl face down, drowning in a pool of running water in the Forest. The 18-month-old girl was unconscious and had stopped breathing when they pulled her out of the water. Thanks to them, this little girl was brought back to life to the unimaginable relief and gratitude of her family.
“That young girl, along with so many others, is alive today because of the heroic actions of the Montrose Search and Rescue team. And they do all of this for their community without asking anything in return.
“Their humbling dedication to service and truly selfless desire to help those in need deserve our respect and gratitude.
"So today, I rise to say thank you, Montrose Search and Rescue, for the great work that you do and for the lives that you save through your efforts.”
***
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Search & Rescue Team members are highly skilled and participate in over 450 search and rescue operations each year. They are reserve sheriff’s deputies who volunteer their time to help others for $1 a year, and who partner with sheriff’s civilian volunteers who volunteer for free. There are over 150 members of the eight Search and Rescue teams of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who were activated for over 450 search and rescue missions last year, making it one of the most active counties for search and rescue missions in the nation. Reserve deputies and civilian volunteers are supervised by full-time sheriff’s deputies. If interested in joining our team, call 818-248-3464.
***
Original LASD News Release
LASD Searchers Rescue Drowning Toddler While Searching for Missing Man in Angeles Forest
(Sent: July 1, 2012)
http://nixle.com/alert/4849452/
(LASD Photo - A mother cradles her toddler while LASD Montrose Search & Rescue Commander Janet Henderson provides life-saving medical attention. Click on the hyperlink at the bottom of this message)
A toddler was revived by rescuers and airlifted to the hospital Friday after being discovered face down in a forest river. Rescuers were in the area to search for an unrelated missing man.
On June 29, 2012, multiple search teams with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, including search dogs and Sheriff's searchers on horseback were in the Stonyvale Picnic area for the ongoing search for Ertug Ergun. Ergun is an engineer from the country of Turkey who had been reported missing in Bakersfield, California last week. LASD deputies have been searching the picnic area and Angeles National Forest since finding his car in the area last week.
Aydin Topcu, Consul General of Turkey, had just met with rescuers Friday at 5:00PM at the Stonyvale Picnic Parking area of Big Tujunga Canyon to thank them for their ongoing search efforts. The search and rescue team members then set out again for the next stage of the search.
Within five minutes of leaving the picnic area command post, LASD Montrose Search and Rescue Reserve Commander Janet Henderson (an emergency room nurse) and Reserve Chief Michael Leum were walking in a river, searching for the missing man, when they noticed a family playing in the water about 50 yards upriver.
Henderson was stunned to see that a toddler was laying face-down in the water near the family, and quickly yelled, "somebody better get that baby!"
Reserve Deputies Henderson and Leum started running upstream as they saw the mother grab the lifeless 18-month old girl from the water.
As soon as the rescuers reached them, the mother handed Leum the baby girl. She was limp, her skin had turned blue, and she was not breathing.
Leum held the baby face-down on his forearm, just as he had been trained to do in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes. He cautiously delivered back-blows appropriate for a toddler, and she immediately coughed up a large amount of water. She began breathing, although with some difficulty.
Henderson, being an emergency room nurse, took over and evaluated the baby's condition based on her valuable training and experience. The mother, now relieved that her baby was breathing, thought that the child would now be fine. However, Henderson insisted that the baby be airlifted immediately airlifted due to the high likelihood of fluid remaining in the baby's lungs and other medical concerns, because of the intake of so much water.
Leum radioed the Sheriff's command post and notified them of the rescue and need for an immediate airlift.
Henderson and Leum hiked to the command post with the mom and baby, then drove with red lights and siren to a landing zone on Big Tujunga Canyon Road. Henderson administered oxygen and monitored the baby's vital signs constantly.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Copter 18 landed and firefighters and sheriff's deputies transported the child and mother to an area hospital for emergency medical treatment. By early Saturday morning, the baby had been released from the hospital and is reportedly healthy.
Due to the quick actions of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team members the child survived.
Having rescued the child, Montrose Search and Rescue Team Commander Henderson and Chief Leum then rejoined the other rescuers and redeployed on their mission in search of the missing Turkish man from Bakersfield. That search continues.
In discussion with the mother in the aftermath of this near-tragedy, deputies learned that the mother of the toddler, along with a three year old child, were being watched by another adult family member while they were all sitting by the side of the creek.
The three year old child became distracted and ran away from the adult family member who was watching both children. That family member ran after the three year old and left the toddler sitting creekside for just a moment. That is when the toddler wandered into the creek.
When the family member soon returned with the three year old, the mother was with the members of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team who had the lifeless toddler with them and were performing life saving measures which revived the toddler.
This search and rescue operation is being coordinated by the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Departtment. Assisting in Friday's search included members of the Montrose Search & Rescue Team (Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station), Sierra Madre Search & Rescue Team (Temple Sheriff's Station), Mounted Search & Rescue (horses) and K-9 (dogs) Search and Rescuers (Sheriff's Reserve Forces Bureau Headquarters), and U.S. Department of Forestry personnel.
For more on the search for the Missing Bakersfield Man from Turkey in the Stonyvale Picnic Area of the Angeles National Forest - LASD Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, click on this hyperlink:
https://local.nixle.com/alert/4847008/?sub_id=80899
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Search & Rescue Team members are highly skilled and participate in over 450 search and rescue operations each year. They are reserve sheriff’s deputies who volunteer their time to help others for $1 a year, and who partner with sheriff’s civilian volunteers who volunteer for free. There are over 150 members of the eight Search and Rescue teams of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who were activated for over 450 search and rescue missions last year, making it one of the most active counties for search and rescue missions in the nation. Reserve deputies and civilian volunteers are supervised by full-time sheriff’s deputies. If interested in joining our team, call 818-248-3464.
Lieutenant Tonya Edwards
Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
4554 N. Briggs Avenue, La Crescenta
(818)248-3464
www.CrescentaValley.lasd.org
Forwarded by:
Peter Gomez, Deputy
Mike Parker, Captain
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
4700 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park CA 91754
Office: 323-267-4800
http://www.lasd.org
SHBNewsroom@lasd.org
www.Nixle.com
http://nixle.com/lasd----hq-newsroom-shb-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
Twitter @LASD_News http://twitter.com/#!/LASD_News
http://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment
Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
To receive more detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) via e-mail, register for "Nixle" alerts at www.Nixle.com or more directly at https://local.nixle.com/register/ and register for "LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff" and your local LASD station area. Or, text your zip code to 888777 to receive text alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
Address/Location
LASD - HQ Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff
4700 W Ramona Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
