Quesnel Search & Rescue is hosting an Open House at its headquarters across from Ceal Tingley Park on May 6, and it will be a great opportunity for members of the public to see what the QSAR is all about.
QSAR president Bob Zimmerman says the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is all about community awareness and volunteer recruitment.
“We aren’t looking for a specific number of recruits, but we’re always looking for new people to come on board.”
It’s good for people to know what we do, he says, adding so they know how we help people and what scenarios we can deal with.
Zimmerman notes QSAR has been around enough years that its members are basically trained for every venue that’s out there, but they are not trained for helicopter long-line rescue.
“There’s a team being prepared in Prince George that will do mutual aid throughout the North.”
However, with the Quesnel and Fraser rivers in the coverage area, he says local members are trained in swift water rescue and they have rope-rescue trained people, as well as trackers, which is the basic starting point.
“It seems to us that if we’re looking for someone who is missing, we’re searching the roads - they may have slid off the road and got stuck.
“It could be people who are injured in the bush that we have to go in and help them out to where the ambulance can take them away.”
He adds the hunter getting lost in the bush walking scenario doesn’t happen as much any more because there’s so much in satellite imagery tools and GPS available for people to use to avoid getting lost.
He notes the Quesnel Community Foundation gave QSAR a donation so 10 GPS units could be purchased to assist in searches .
Zimmerman says they average around one callout a month. He adds some times there are more and sometimes there are fewer.
QSAR also provides mutual aid as long as the Quesnel search area can be covered.
Meanwhile, this Saturday’s event is an opportunity for folks to meet the team members, tour the headquarters and check out the command truck, says open house committee chair Lana Johnson.
People will be also be able to check out the various discipline stations to get an idea of what the QSAR does during a rescue and the training program.
The discipline stations will be held both inside and outside of the headquarters and they will all be going on at the same time.
“That way people will be able to keep moving around and catch what’s going on at the various discipline stations quickly.”
The stations include ground search and rescue; tracking; winter survival (avalanche and snowmobile rescue); what to pack for overnight winter survival; Adventure Smart - a public information program (Hug A Tree); Zimmerman will be registering and answering question about QSAR, along with a slide show; radio communication, swift water rescue; rope systems; and first aid.
Johnson notes there will a lot of things going on for people to check out and folks won’t want to miss the opportunity.
She urges people who are going out into the backcountry to make sure they let someone know where they’re going and leave a detailed trip plan.
“If you’re stuck in the bush, hug a tree, stay put, stay warm and dry, and answer your searchers when they call.”