There was a lot of excitement in the old town last weekend. With Grandma's Marathon, great weather and plenty of related activities from one end of the community to the other, Duluth was a showcase. It seemed most visitors, guests and the tens of thousands that witnessed the various activities were overwhelmed and pleased with the accommodations, good cheer and support from a wide mix of professionals and volunteers who quietly did their jobs without fanfare.
What probably wasn't considered by most was the planning and execution needed to handle the crowds, making life as easy as possible for the participants and, yet, being prepared in a moment's notice to take care of an emergency or other civic responsibility that required quick professional attention.
That's what community is all about. Duluth and area communities are blessed with an unsung professionalism that is only really seen when something goes wrong. One such group is the St. Louis County Sheriff's Rescue Squad.
This summer, the rescue squad will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. The squad will be part of the community Hermantown Public Safety Expo on Aug. 23 at the Hermantown Public Safety Building, 5111 Maple Grove Road. Mark your calendars. Deputy Chief of Police Shawn Padden reported that the event has community-wide interest and is worth visiting.
It will be an exciting family event featuring area public safety and medical support groups providing plenty of entertainment and displays for young and old alike. Expect more on this later.
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Today, however, my focus is on a wonderful group of people whose professionalism in search and rescue is well documented, with many a happy ending.
The rescue squad added one more success to the list this past week, when Lt. Rick Slatten's own computer program was instrumental in finding an autistic gentlemen lost for days in Burnett County. Slatten is one of 70 St. Louis County Sheriff's Rescue Squad volunteers here and on the Iron Range, ready -- at the drop of a hat -- to actively lead in search and rescue missions. Their record, of course, speaks for it self.
The squad has an annual fund-raiser that will begin shortly. The money will be used to purchase equipment for their various rescue missions encompassing land and water challenges.
Under the command of Capt. Tom Crossmon, the volunteers participated in more than 24,000 hours of wilderness search and rescue, boat and water safety and first aid and public safety in 2007. Numbers like this would be impossible for Crossmon and crew without solid community support.
Sometime this year the Rescue Squad will be involved in its 1,000th water rescue mission and 7,000th search and rescue call. Remember, volunteers -- whom have the full support of area law enforcement organizations -- are doing this as a service to the communities they serve without pay.
Talking about the St. Louis County Rescue Squad to your friends and neighbors makes a lot of sense. True, you may never need their support, but if ever you do need them, they will be there with the enthusiasm, training and equipment to do the job.
So when I mention unsung heroes, I make that comment seriously.
These wonderful people are proud of this area; they have family roots here and their diverse occupational talents only add to the quality of this organization. As today's society continues to get more complicated, Duluth and the surrounding area needs more volunteerism to counter the growing costs of professional government. Because volunteers care and train themselves to be there when needed and they get involved because they want to.
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And on the lighter side
Ole complained to his landlord, "Da people upstairs are so annoying! Last night dey stomped and pounded on da floor till almost midnight."
"Did they wake you up?" asked the landlord?
"No," said Ole, "fortunately I vas playing my tuba."
E-mail Dick Palmer at rpalmer341@aol.com .
