Last Christmas Day was like no other for Dean Daigle.

The 42-year-old San Bernardino father of three came home from his graveyard shift as a diesel mechanic at 6 a.m. to open gifts with his kids, then lay down for a nap.

He woke about noon to the sound of sirens and pouring rain. A 15-year volunteer with a San Bernardino search and rescue team, he instinctively pulled on his rescue gear.

His search team was called out to help search for 14 people lost in a mudslide in Waterman Canyon.

On the way, they were diverted to Lytle Creek, where floodwaters had washed a man out of an overturned vehicle.

Before Daigle and his partner could reach it, they came upon a terrified family of three caught on a washed out road in Devore. With help from other rescuers, they pulled the family to safety.

Then they continued on their mission. Visibility was 12 feet and the roar of the swollen creek drowned out other sounds. But Daigle heard a faint cry and spotted the injured man clinging to a tree, his hands icy, most of his clothing torn off by the force of the water.

Joined by three other rescuers, they saved the man and got him to an emergency room.

It was 11 p.m., but their day was not done. They were sent to the KOA Campground in Devore to help extricate 35 people from a mudslide that killed two.

It was after 3 a.m. when Daigle finally returned home.

Each time search and rescue volunteers are called out, their spouses and children only hope they return safely, Daigle said.

A tight-knit community, search and rescue volunteers were hit hard last month by the deaths of two members on their way to search for a lost hiker in Joshua Tree National Park.

The volunteers are prepared for the dangers of rescue work. But no one thinks about being killed on the way to a rescue.

Hundreds of volunteers in San Bernardino and Riverside counties spend many hours each month training for desert, mountain and water rescues.

They not only donate their time, they spend their own money - $2,000 or more on equipment, just for starters.

It can cost $1,000 for a single spool of rope, said Armando Armijo, a five-year volunteer with San Bernardino Mountain Search & Rescue.

And the rope might have to be replaced after just one use. "When your life depends on it, you throw it away" if it's even slightly frayed, he said.

San Bernardino County search and rescue volunteers put in 130,000 hours over the last 12 months, saving the county more than $4 million, said John Amrhein, their coordinator.

"These people are more selfless," said Sgt. Pete Ortiz of Desert Sheriff Search & Rescue.

"They make personal sacrifices besides the (time) commitment," Ortiz said. "We've had people miss birthdays, anniversaries, kids' events."

Their families also sacrifice.

"The people that pay the biggest price is your spouse," Armijo said.

To raise money for the work, Armijo's team is having A Night at the Improv in Ontario on Aug. 25. Tickets are $20 and can be ordered by calling (909) 223-3657 or (909) 214-0270.

If you don't want to attend but still want to help your local search and rescue team, in San Bernardino call (909) 387-0641; in Riverside , (951) 486-3355; or in the desert, (760) 836-1655.

Search and rescue volunteers do so much for others. Why not return the favor?