Murrieta Fire Department engineer Mike Macalinao and captains Sean DeGrave and Todd Bradstreet are certified swiftwater rescue technicians who each have trained for the risky missions for more than 10 years.
They all have performed water rescues. But none, they said, matched the situation they encountered Sunday, Jan. 22, when they pulled four members of a family – two parents and two young children – from a large pickup that had been overwhelmed by rushing, rising water.