For more than 50 years, Linville-Central Rescue Squad has been providing SAR services in Avery County and the surrounding region, with a team that includes first responders, certified rescue technicians, EMTs, paramedics, and K9s. They respond wherever needed—evacuating a hiker with a broken ankle, rescuing a climber stranded on a cliff, extricating a victim trapped by a car accident, searching for lost people, and more.

　　Fortunately, their job just got a little easier, thanks to the Defender Service Awards Presented by Chase. The Linville-Central Rescue Squad is one of the 90-plus deserving winners, earning the Search, Rescue and Emergency Support Services Award in 2024.

　　Enter the 2025 Defender Service Awards Know a nonprofit that could use a supercapable 4WD vehicle and $30,000 cash? The time is now to enter this mission-driven awards program. Learn more at Defender Service Awards. The Defender Brand embraces the impossible. Each member of the Defender family is purposefully designed, highly desirable and seriously durable. A modern‑day hero that respects the past but at the same time anticipates the future. Available in 90, 110 and 130 body styles, with up to eight seats, each has a charisma of its own. The tough luxury Defender OCTA is the master of performance — taking performance and capability to another level on and off‑road. A beacon of liberty that can trace its heritage back to the first Land Rover in 1948, Defender is a brand that supports humanitarian and conservation work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Tusk Trust. The Defender brand is underpinned by Land Rover — a mark of trust built on more than 75 years of expertise in technology and world‑leading off‑road capability. Defender vehicles are designed and engineered in the UK and sold in 121 countries. It belongs to the JLR house of brands alongside Range Rover, Discovery and Jaguar.