First responders of all stripes from Summit County, Wasatch County and Uinta County, Wyoming, gathered together to Oct. 7. The Summit County Council was set to recognize retiring sheriff's Lt. Alan Siddoway with a proclamation, a tradition for veteran staff.
To Sheriff Kacey Bates, the sea of bright red, neon yellow and blaze orange uniforms in the room was evidence of Siddoway’s wide-ranging impact.
“His dedication to search and rescue extends to families awaiting words of loved ones, reflecting and understanding that each mission involves people who deserve compassion, respect and sustained attention,” she said, reading the proclamation aloud.
Siddoway spent 42 years at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, according to his retirement proclamation.
Most recently he led the search and rescue division, coordinating rescues in remote areas like the Uinta Mountains in every season, day or night.
The county has renamed the recently renovated SAR building in Kamas the Alan Siddoway Mountain Rescue Center. Bates said when Siddoway was told about the honor, he responded: “No one asked me.”
“That is a total Alan response. He was the most humble — didn't like recognition for anything. He is a wealth of information,” she said.
Siddoway and his family could not attend the Oct. 7 ceremony but watched online. His son Derek Siddoway, who serves as the county’s communications director, told KPCW they were overwhelmed and grateful for the support.
County Councilmember Canice Harte remembered volunteering for a rescue operation several years ago, in which a missing 25-year-old was found dead in the High Uintas Wilderness.
He said the elder Siddoway found a nursery near the young man’s home in Idaho and arranged for a tree to be planted on his family’s property.
“There’s so many stories like that with Alan, where he just is probably one of the most empathetic people I know,” Harte said.
Harte, formerly the SAR operations manager, has taken over as the top search and rescue employee at the sheriff’s office since Siddoway’s retirement.
