KALISPELL, Montana – At an April 13 meeting, Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety Directors awarded $44,080 to 9 area nonprofits, including Flathead County Search and Rescue Association (FCSAR).
FCSAR President Anthony Palmiotti presented on behalf of the well-known nonprofit, founded in 1950 and one of the oldest SAR organizations in the United States. He noted wryly that the group is receiving an exponentially increasing number of calls to assist in the mountains, on the rivers, and off and on the trails in an area about the size of Connecticut.
“We do get visitors around here in the summertime,” Palmiotti told the Roundup for Safety Board of Directors with a wink. “The fire department is great, but the fire truck can’t always make it up to Camp Misery,” Palmiotti continued, referring to a trailhead in the Jewel Basin area. “That’s where we come in. Right now, our equipment isn’t keeping up with the volume of calls we’re receiving.”
