By Mary O’KEEFE

Montrose Search and Rescue was honored at the Annual Reserve Recognition Dinner on Thursday. Each year the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. honors reserve officers who go above and beyond in the performance of their duty.

“We had about 800 people in attendance this year,” said Mike Leum, Reserve chief and member of Montrose Search and Rescue.

In the past, one member of a search and rescue team would be honored for a rescue, but this year the award was changed to honor the entire team.

“We changed it to the entire team because we all work together,” Leum said.

Montrose Search and Rescue was awarded the Rescue of the Year and was given the award by Tracy Granger, the woman they rescued.

Granger knows first hand what it is like to have no hope of rescue only to see, and hear, Montrose Search and Rescue members coming toward her.

On March 25, while driving home from Pasadena through the Angeles Crest and Angeles Forest highways, her vehicle hit a patch of black ice. Her truck plunged over the side of a cliff, about 350 feet. It was dark, there was snow and she was in a white truck.

Jason Johnson, MSR member, was part of the search for Granger. He noticed some tire marks on the road, looked over the side of the road and saw Granger. Team members Robert Sheedy and Cindy England arrived and started the rescue.

In August, Granger returned to the scene of the rescue to rappel down the side of the cliff where she had been found.

Johnson, Sheedy and England went with her over the side.

Leum said the team performs many rescues but it’s rare to see those they rescued again. Granger not only went back to the scene of her accident, but has publicly thanked the MSR team for saving her life.

It meant a lot to the team for Granger to once again honor MSR when she presented the Rescue of the Year award to the team that saved her life.

For more information on Montrose Search and Rescue, visit  montrosesar.org