04/16/2026
Search and Rescue awards 44-year volunteer as Lifetime Honorary Member
Sheriff Dave Kain stands with Shirley Griffin and longtime Tehama County Search and Rescue volunteer John Griffin on Monday, April 13. John Griffin was awarded as a Lifetime Honorary Member of the team following his 44 years of service. (Heather Taylor — Daily News
On the sunny spring evening of Monday, April 13, the Tehama County Search and Rescue honored one of their greatest trackers and longest-serving volunteers, John Griffin, and awarded him as a Lifetime Honorary Member of the team.
Griffin, as described by Sheriff Dave Kain, has been a “cornerstone” of the volunteer organization since first attending a meeting in December 1982. Kain commented that was probably before some of the other volunteers in the room were even born.
Captain Mick Quirke explained that Griffin shared at one of the team’s previous monthly meetings that, after 44 years of service, he felt it was probably time to step down from the team. Despite Griffin saying that he didn’t mean to cause such a “disturbance” with his announcement, Quirke said they had to celebrate the time and work the “man tracker” contributed to the operation.
With Griffin’s recognition as a lifetime member, Quirke told him there is no retirement — in practice, it means he is welcome to attend anything he wants and is still recognized as part of the team.
Quirke called Griffin one of the greatest man trackers he or anyone else could ever know. Kain also spoke of Griffin’s “legendary” skills as a tracker, mentioning a rumor that Griffin could even track a person across a paved parking lot and that the volunteer had once tracked footsteps underwater. Before resources were more widely available online, Kain said Griffin kept a library of shoe catalogs he could reference to identify footprints.
“His skills have led to countless successful outcomes,” Kain said.
Griffin was an important part of founding the man-tracking program and teaching it to team members and other law enforcement, the sheriff said. He was also among the first to be certified in swiftwater rescue.
Kain presented Griffin with a plaque honoring his years of dedicated service, declaring him “World’s Best Man Tracker.”
Beyond Griffin’s technical expertise, Kain, Quirke and other members referred to his character and his personal presence in people’s lives. The search and rescue team feels more like a family than a formal organization, with meetings full of laughter, inside jokes and lots of tall tales and storytelling.
Griffin has been in the lives of some of the volunteers, through monthly meetings, training exercises and more, for decades. One team member mentioned he’d been at her wedding in the 80s and at her vow renewal last year, though Griffin was called away from the original wedding reception for a search-and-rescue operation. Sheriff Kain mentioned that Gavin Gormley said Griffin had been in his life since he was six and attended his important life milestones.
There’s not a lot of turnover in the volunteer base, another team member said, and there’s a real sense of camaraderie among the volunteers.
The team meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Stillwell Training Center, 2010 Park Ave., Red Bluff. The meetings are open to the public and serve as a good introduction for those interested in volunteering and learning more. Potential volunteers can also call 530-527-6561 with questions.
Future and current volunteers have quite the example to follow, set by Griffin. Griffin’s dedication has always been evident, Kain said, as he is the first to arrive and the last to leave events.
“John has led this team in prayer and Christmas blessings for over four decades, earning the respect and admiration of SAR organizations far and wide,” Kain said.
Quirke told Griffin he expected to still see him and his wife, Shirley Griffin, at Christmas dinners, because someone would need to say the prayer.
Kain also acknowledged Shirley Griffin for her “steadfast support,” which enabled Griffin to give so much to the search and rescue team.
In accepting the honor, Griffin thanked the team for “putting up with him” for 44 years. He thanked his wife for putting up with him as well, and she set the record straight that she’d been doing so for even longer than the search and rescue team. The Griffins have been married for 67 years.
The team and the Griffins enjoyed cookies, cake and soda as part of the celebration before Griffin shared a detailed story about a past successful rescue, and the regular meeting resumed.
The team’s affection and respect for Griffin was readily apparent, as he received a standing ovation of applause, lots of handshakes and words of congratulation. As the sheriff, captain, and Griffin himself took turns speaking, they were framed by handwritten messages scrawled on the whiteboard behind them.
One stated, “You will always be missed, but NEVER forgotten.” Another thanked Griffin for being a leader, mentor and friend.
But perhaps the overall sentiment was most succinctly shared in a whiteboard message that simply read “We love you.”
