Highly trained unpaid volunteers key to search and rescue operations across Canada
They are the unsung heroes of search and rescue operations across Canada.
Teams of unpaid but highly trained volunteers, who at a moment's notice are called out of the comfort of their homes in all kinds of weather to help find missing people or to recover the dead from accidents or other calamities near their communities.
Shunning the limelight, often the only thanks the men and women get is the personal satisfaction of knowing that they tried their best to save someone or have given some comfort to a grieving family.
The recovery of the eight snowmobilers who died in avalanches in southeastern B.C. on Sunday is only the latest example of the dedication of such volunteers.
"They epitomize compassion," Don Bindon, a retired RCMP sergeant who is president of the B.C. Search and Rescue Association, said Tuesday.
"They have a desire to help other people and they translate that desire into full-scale action. And they do it at the most inconvenient times. These people have the right character. These are great Canadians."
There are more than 18,000 trained ground search and rescue volunteers across Canada who work in teams overseen by provincial associations in close co-operation with police and local governments.
Out of every 10 people who show an interest in volunteering only about three are chosen or stick with the training, which can include everything from map and compass reading to first aid, wilderness survival and search techniques.
But the training doesn't even begin until you make the cut and pass a detailed interview.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have no criminal record, face a medical check and be physically fit. Some provincial associations require police record checks.
Would-be members must be willing to respond to calls for help when needed. They must supply their own basic equipment such as boots, rain gear and winter clothing.
Even if accepted, applicants must serve a probationary period where more veteran members gauge the newbies' attitude and ability to comb the rugged bush in all kinds of weather.
Dedication and commitment are key.
Harry Blackmore, president of the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada, has been called out in the middle of the night, in driving rain and snowstorms. He once got a call an hour before attending a New Year's Eve dinner.
"When something goes wrong, you drop everything and go at it," Blackmore, a retired fire chief, told The Canadian Press as he was driving home to St. John's, N.L., after finding the body of a hunter who had been missing for three weeks.
"If you get a call at 2 a.m. we expect you to be there. We don't want anyone who will only come out if it is convenient. Ninety per cent of the searches do not happen in good weather. It's hard work. Dangerous work. You don't know what you are going to be up against."
If an applicant makes the cut, the team tries to ease the new member into the search routine and ensure they are not faced with too gruesome a task too quickly.
Police forensic teams are some times called in to give training courses, including providing pictures of what volunteers might find or see during a search.
Teams can be called into action by police, fire departments, ambulance services or local governments.
A senior member of the team then contacts the volunteers by telephone or pagers with instructions to muster at a certain place or time for a briefing.
The teams, which are partially funded by various levels of government but also raise money themselves, wait for the official callout to ensure they are covered by government insurance and workers compensation programs.
If the volunteers find a body they are encouraged to talk about their feelings and are offered counselling from critical incident stress teams.
"We don't want to have people coming back with their lives thrown into disarray after what they have seen while they were out trying to do something for the community," Blackmore said.
The rigours of the job are part of the challenge, and tend to attract hardy people who love the outdoors.
The rewards include the sense of helping others and a strong sense of friendship and camaraderie that develops amongst the volunteers.
"We are on call 365 days a year, 24-hours per day," said Don Burgess, a search and rescue volunteer from British Columbia.
"You get a sense of accomplishment. If it ever happened to you or someone close to you, you would be hoping that someone would come looking for you or your loved one or friend."
