2026 marks 70 years of service for the Alamance County Rescue Unit.
Founded in 1955, the unit is the primary and rescue provider for Alamance County and its municipalities.
The unit responds to calls ranging from water and vehicle rescues to technical and confined space rescues.
An open-house-style celebration was held at their station in Graham on May 2.
The event featured food, a bounce house, and equipment demonstrations. On display was their newest vehicle, “Rescue 1.”
ACRU Chief Chris Mauney said the celebration means 70 years of great service to the county.
“Many rescues, many lives saved, and a lot of great volunteers over the years, that have dedicated their time and service to the community,” Mauney said.
The agency currently has approximately 70 members, with the majority being volunteers.
Dive Captain Joe McAdams has served on the ACRU dive team for 20 years. He said that ACRU is a great community with different divers throughout the county.
“We have a paid staff person that's here during the day, so if we have a response or a call during the day, that paid staff would grab the truck and the boats and head to the scene,” McAdams said. “Most of us that are at work, most of our employers are pretty lenient and will allow us to leave that job cause they know that we are going to a service call.”
Mauney said that during Tropical Storm Chantal, the unit responded to over 50 water rescues.
“We’re very fortunate enough to have a group of individuals that can get the truck out and apparatus and respond to these incidents when we need them to,” Mauney said.
McAdams said that the dive rescue unit is needed between four and five times a year, on average.
The rescue unit currently maintains one heavy rescue truck, four rescue vehicles, a rescue ambulance, a water rescue vehicle, eight boats and several support vehicles.
Mauney said the best way for people to get involved is to take part in the unit's many fundraisers or share the unit’s social media pages.