After reading 1600+ Search and Rescue incident summaries, these are my 10 observations on how to avoid needing a rescue and why SAR teams deserve better funding
As someone who spends a lot of time in the outdoors, my primary goal each trip is to get back home safely. My secondary goal is to achieve the primary goal without the help of Search and Rescue.
With that in mind, I decided to read every one of the 1600+ British Columbia Ground Search and Rescue incident summaries in the 17/18 season(Apr 1st 2017 to March 31st 2018) to see if there were any lessons that could be learned. The summaries can be seen at the following link.
The summaries are extremely brief and usually limited to one or two sentences. Given the nature of these summaries and the lack of thoroughness in my skim reading/counting, any numbers presented here should be taken as rough estimates only.
At a high level, there were approximately 1630 Ground SAR tasks in BC in the last year. These 1600+ tasks are handled by approximately 2500 unpaid professional volunteers across 80 teams. 1600 is a surprisingly high number. Only a handful of high-profile incidents receive media coverage.
For more high-level stats, check out the Oplopanax Horridus blog run by Michael Coyle, a SAR Manager with Coquitlam Search and Rescue.
Below are a few observations that I made and some actions I will be taking as a recreationist and also as a voter and taxpayer.
1) Dementia and Alzheimer's
There were approximately 39 calls this past year to help search for dementia/Alzheimer's patients.
There are growing calls for the provincial and federal governments to implement a Silver Alert strategy. When a senior citizen with dementia goes missing, one of the best way to ensure they are found is to get the word out very quickly to a large number of people in that local area .
Here is a good article discussing the issue:
I put this observation at the top because there is an open petition right now. Sign the petition! It only takes a minute.
2) Bears
There were a small number of bear interactions and only one actual bear attack that led to a SAR task. (Of course, there may have been other bear attacks that did not lead to SAR tasks.)
"5 Nelson SAR members responded to search for a missing hiker after he had reported being attacked by a bear. Conservation Officers were contacted to assist with the search. SAR was stood down after the subject self rescued."
Visitors to the backcountry should be vigilant about making noise on trails, travelling in groups in Grizzly Bear country, carrying bear spray, and storing food and all other attractants in a bear-proof container at night. That said, a fear of bears should not prevent you from getting into the woods. You should be more afraid of not having the right footwear and rolling an ankle. “Ankle” shows up 33 times in the incident summaries.
3) Satellite Messengers and Personal Locator Beacons
This could be a long post on its own; especially to discuss the differences between all of the types of satellite messengers and personal locator beacons. I will just refer to the entire category as beacons.
38 call-outs appear to be legitimate triggers from beacons. Some of the triggers were cancelled by the users before a rescue was performed. I am sure that subjects that were rescued quickly instead of needing to spend an extra night in the woods with a painful injury were extremely grateful they had a beacon.
Here are two examples:
"5 Whistler SAR members responded following a inReach beacon activation from an injured male subject in Garibaldi Park. The subject had fallen off of a 10 foot snow drift and suffered a dislocated shoulder. SAR packaged and flew the subject to the heliport where he was transferred to BCAS for transport to the Whistler Clinic."
and
"6 Columbia Valley SAR responded to a spot beacon activation from an injured female with a dislocated hip. SAR located and transported subject out via helicopter. Transferred to BCAS."
At the same time, these devices are not flawless and accidental triggers occur more often than they should. I counted about 16 of those (and 2 cases of GPS coordinates being so incorrect that they were not useful.) Fortunately, they are avoidable. Be sure that you understand your device very well and don't throw it loosely into a backpack. Put it in a rigid case to prevent the buttons from being triggered accidentally. I also think that the province should file a complaint with some of the device companies to pressure them into fixing design shortcomings.
Here was one example of an accidental trigger.
"15 Coquitlam SAR members responded to locate the subjects of a spot activation in the Upper Pitt River. The subjects were located alive and well as it was an accidental activation."
One of the most exciting uses of the beacons is their ability to prevent call-outs for overdue subjects that are in good health but are running late. Some of the beacons have the ability to send an "I'm OK but late - no need for help" message. Here was one example and there may have been many call-outs that were avoided completely and therefore not recorded.
"1 North Peace SAR member responded to search for a missing filmographer in the Bucking Horse/Redfern Area near Fort Nelson. SAR was stood down when a SPOT message was received. indicating he was safe."
4) Injuries, illness and fatalities
I counted 496 call-outs due to injuries, illness and backcountry fatalities. I believe that the actual number is higher but many summary reports are not very descriptive. It’s also worth pointing out that there are injuries/illnesses that take time to develop or don’t result in SAR call-outs (e.g. tick bites.)
Here is a typical summary of an injury related call-out:
"26 Squamish SAR members responded to assist a hiker with an ankle injury on The Chief in Squamish. The subject was rescued by SAR and was transferred to BCAS." [BC Ambulance Service.]
There was a huge variety in the ways that people got injured. Dehydration, bee-stings, food poisoning, avalanches, falls, dirt bike accidents, rope swing accident, etc.
Mountain biking and snowmobiling were almost tied. Sowmobiling had 59 injury-related call-outs and mountain biking had 49 injury-related call-outs. On a per-user basis, I'd suspect that is much higher than the rate for other activities and the injuries are often worse. Mountain biking is a category to watch. Improved biking technology and new trails are bringing people deeper into the backcountry where they are more likely to require SAR if they get injured.
Although it receives much less attention than other dangers such as avalanches, swimming is a very dangerous activity in the cold waters and swift currents that you will find across BC. In a period of a few hours on July 10th, there were back to back calls for fatal drowning incidents.
"11 Kent Harrison SAR members responded to Weaver Lake in Agassiz for a possible drowning. One person was recovered, deceased."
"13 Campbell River SAR members responded to locate a potential drowning victim near the Lukwa Bridge in Woss. The subject was located, deceased, and was handed over to the RCMP."
What's the lesson in all of these injuries? The awareness that there is more than one SAR call per day due to injuries will cause me to think more carefully about my own decisions. It’s hard to say anything that doesn’t sound obvious but here are a few key ideas:
- Have the proper equipment including proper footwear and lifejackets
- Set realistic expectations based on your level of fitness and experience
- Have a full first-aid kit and know how to use it
- Be aware of dangers that you may overlook such as dehydration and allergic reactions
- If you are biking, climbing, etc. far from help then dial it back a notch or two compared to what you would do near an urban center
- Always bring extra supplies in case an injury means you need to spend a lot more time in the bush
- Visit https://www.adventuresmart.ca/ for more safety advice
5) Abandoned equipment
SAR is occasionally dispatched to investigate an overturned kayak or an abandon tent or other types of abandon gear.
Here were two examples:
"6 North Shore Rescue members responded to search an old avalanche site on Cypress Mountain where ski equipment was found. SAR was stood down by RCMP, after a search of the area failed to locate any sign of a casualty." and
and
"15 Comox Valley SAR members responded following reports of an overturned kayaker on the Puntledge River, near Nyphm Falls, Courtenay. The SAR team recovered the kayak and were then informed that the kayaker had self rescued the day before."
These calls are 100% avoidable. If you ever leave a piece of equipment in the field (especially a boat) then you should call the local non-emergency RCMP line as soon as you get cell-phone coverage to report it.
6) Poor communication
When going on a trip, it’s important to leave extremely clear communication with your family and friends to avoid confusion about when you expect to return. At ski areas, it’s particularly important to only park overnight in areas that are designated for that purpose.
Examples:
"10 Revelstoke SAR members responded to assist the RCMP and Parks Canada with locating a missing female on Mount Revelstoke. SAR climbed the mountain but were stood down when they received confirmation that the subject was at home safe."
"5 North Shore Rescue members responded to search for an overdue skier in the Cypress Bowl area after a vehicle was found parked in lot overnight. The subject was located safe and healthy and had not notified anyone that they had planned an overnight trip."
"19 Juan De Fuca SAR members responded to search for 2 overdue hikers on the Juan De Fuca Trail. The SAR was stood down, when it was determined that the subjects were not actually missing and weren't supposed to rendezvous with family until tomorrow night."
Even if you don't feel a need to leave a trip plan for your own safety - do it to help avoid being a burden on SAR or to avoid putting your family through unnecessary stress.
Here are two resources:
7) Criminal
Some calls have an added element of surprise.
"5 Quesnel SAR members responded to rescue a driver that drove into the water next to the SAR training building. SAR was swift water training at the time. The subject was successfully extricated by SAR, checked out by BCAS and detained by the RCMP."
"16 Cowichan Valley SAR , Ladysmith SAR members responded to a vehicle in Ryan Creek with 1 suspected person in the vehicle. SAR was stood down when the RCMP SWAT team arrived on scene as one of the people known to be in the vehicle was a fugitive."
“9 Vernon SAR members responded to an RCMP request to bring their boat to assist in the apprehension of a subject that had fled police and entered the lake and was swimming from the member. RCMP were advised a requirement for SAR volunteers would be a Cst in the boat due to safety concerns to the volunteers. The SAR team was stood down with a negative result when the RCMP dive team arrived on site.”
8) Getting lost
It's hard to tell from the summaries exactly which subjects were lost, which were stranded, and which were late. However, the word "lost" shows up 152 times, "stranded" shows up 98 times and "stood down" shows up 565 times.
Lost is simple to understand. Getting stranded is often the next stage after getting lost. On many trails, if you wander off for a minute or two you can easily get stranded on a cliff or other feature and it may be too steep to return to where you came from. Stood down is a tricky one. Many (but not all) calls with that keyword are for subjects who made it out on their own or with assistance from another agency before SAR was fully deployed and that’s often an indication that they were lost or overdue.
Here is one example:
“2 Metchosin SAR members were mustering the team to search for a missing hiker at Thetis Lake when they were stood down because the subject was located in good condition by the RCMP."
We have the technology to stop this. GPS, a map and a compass are all very helpful. Studying the route ahead of time on Google Earth is a good idea. Looking behind you a few times on the way up can help you to find milestones on the way back. Carry a watch and be diligent about turning around at your turn-around time. Always carry a headlamp.
9) Mechanical problems
If you are going deep into the woods on a motorized or mechanical device, it’s a good idea to travel in a group so that if one piece of equipment breaks down, you can still get out safely. In an hour on a dirt bike or a quad, you can get so far into the woods that walking out may not be practical. Bringing extra fuel and spare parts is also a good idea.
3 Squamish SAR members were contacted by the RCMP following report of some stranded people who were out four wheeling in the snow on the Cheakeye FSR, near Squamish. SAR was stood down when RCMP determined it was not a search, but a tow, that was required.
“6 Barriere and 14 Kamloops SAR members responded to rescue two snowmobilers who ran out of gas near Barriere. The subjects were located and turned over to RCMP.”
10) A huge bucket of other things
The full magnitude of the role that SAR volunteers play in public safety is hard to get a handle on until you actually read every summary.
Here are a few examples.
Tasked to rescue workers at remote industrial sites:
"5 Archipelago SAR members responded to rescue an injured logger on a logging operation west of Port Clements. The subject was transferred to BCAS crew, in stable condition.
Tasked to save your life when an ambulance is not available:
"4 Golden SAR members responded to an RCMP request to transport an injured mountain biker from the heli pad at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to the hospital, as there were no ambulances available. SAR transported the patient to the hospital in life threatening condition."
Tasked to assist with motor vehicle accidents when a vehicle has gone over an embankment or is submerged in the water:
"21 Campbell River SAR members responded to perform a high angle rope rescue after a vehicle went over an embankment near Sayward. The driver was recovered, deceased, and turned over to the Coroner. A search of the area was conducted to ensure there were no other occupants thrown from the vehicle on impact. These results were negative."
Tasked to dozens of calls to search for despondent subjects. Also tasked by the Coroner 10–30 times/year to perform body recoveries.
Tasked to play a role in emergency evacuations:
"13 Bulkley Valley SAR members responded to rescue stranded Moricetown residents by boat, and to search for any stray animals that may have left behind."
Tasked to rescue animals:
"RCMP requested the assistance of 20 Comox Valley SAR members to assist responders to safely access the scene of a horse down an steep embankment in Comox. SAR assisted responders down and back up the steep grade and helped successfully raise the sedated horse."
Tasked to help with residents at remote properties:
"6 Arrow Lakes and 1 Nelson SAR member responded to rescue an injured 80-year-old female who fell at her property in a remote area near Nakusp. The patient was rescued and brought out to a waiting BCAS crew for further assessment and transport to hospital."
Tasked to help motorists during storm conditions:
"35 Comox Valley SAR members responded to rescue stranded motorists on Mount Washington due to heavy snow conditions. The SAR team was stood down after EMCON was able to clear the road of fallen trees and vehicles were able to slowly make there way out. RCMP called SAR out again after the snow plow was reported to have broken down and there were still people stuck in the snow further up the road. RCMP stood down SAR again, prior to them heading back to the area as assistance was no longer required."
Tasked to help with airplane crashes:
"15 Campbell River and 16 Comox Valley SAR responded to the scene of a crashed helicopter near Campbell River Airport. One person was deceased and SAR rescued one injured person and transferred to hospital."
In short, when we are at our greatest need and and in the trickiest of situations, it’s often SAR that gets dispatched to help — whether or not we are deep in the woods.
Yet despite the critical role that these unpaid SAR volunteers play, they operate without a long-term sustainable funding model and are required to spend meaningful amounts of their volunteer time on fundraising and grant applications.
They have been advocating for years for an Alternative Support Model but the government has yet to come through with a long term sustainable solution:
As a taxpayer and voter, you can let your MLA or the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister Responsible for Emergency Preparedness know that you would like to see the SAR teams receive the support they need and you would like to see the government make meaningful progress on the funding issue. The Honourable Mike Farnworth can be reached at EP.minister@gov.bc.ca
Happy Hiking,
Steve
