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Backcountry rescues continue to increase across province says new report

Outdoor enthusiasts - be prepared
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Search and rescue volunteers frequently take part in training exercises as part of their ongoing quest to keep backcountry travellers safe. Pique file photo

The British Columbia wilderness is one of the most beautiful places anywhere to explore and tens of thousands of people do so every year.

Unfortunately hundreds of them end up in trouble due to accidents, lack of preparation, and unforeseen events.

The most challenging rescues are often in the news and while search and rescue (SAR) workers continue to spread the word that they support exploration of the backcountry they also want people to realize they must be prepared.

According to the latest Provincial Emergency Program Ground Search and Rescue Report (2004/05) SAR responded to 984 calls in the province.

While the majority were rescued – most within 24 hours – 61 missing people were found dead, and 53 were not found at all. Overall the province’s operational costs for SAR were $1,535,240 in 2004/05.

For the majority of the last 15 years the numbers of rescues have gone up and this past year is no exception said acting deputy director of PEP Jim McAllister.

In all there were 1,021 calls for rescue in 2004-2005. The financial costs won’t be available until this fall; however, McAllister expects this year to have less since last year was characterized by long and difficult searches, including a female mushroom picker missing in the Alexis Creek for eight days, an overdue hiker missing in Whistler for five days and an 83-year-old woman missing at Kelly Lake for nine days.

"We do expect it to be lower but we won’t know until everything is tabulated," said McAllister.

Hundreds of SAR volunteers also logged over 20,000 hours during operation Firestorm in 2003, when wild fires raged across B.C. It was the largest integrated response of emergency agencies in the history of the province.

Search and Rescue is one of five Public Safety Lifeline Volunteers services in the province, along with Emergency Social Services, road rescue, PEP air and amateur radio.

There are about 4,700 registered volunteers organized into 93 provincial Search and Rescue teams and seven Initial Response Teams. They support numerous agencies across the province, including the police in searching for lost persons; B.C. Ambulance Service in accessing and transporting injured persons where specialized skills are required; the coroners’ office with the recovery of deceased victims where special skills are needed; Department of National Defence and Canadian Coast Guard for air and marine search and rescue; and local governments during civil emergencies.

In all there are about 13,000 volunteers involved in B.C.’s Public Safety Lifeline. Without doubt, said McAllister, they are the heart and soul of PEP’s success.

In B.C. the model for ground searches is a little different that in some other jurisdictions, said McAllister.

"In B.C., because we have really well-trained volunteers in such things as search management, the police – while they always retain responsibility – will hand over the actual operational management to the search and rescue volunteers," he said.

"That is a different model than in some jurisdictions. In some cases the police will manage everything and they may or may not involve volunteers. But here there is such a well-developed system that they are quite comfortable in doing that."

There are no statistics tracking the number of people who head out to enjoy the backcountry and all its activities, such as kayaking, snowmobiling, hiking and skiing. But it’s safe to say the number of people grows every year based on the number of searches PEP tracks.

In 1990-1991 there were under 400 searches completed at a cost of under $200,000. Over the past 15 years there have been over 11,000 SAR responses with approximately 15,000 people found and rescued.

Just how much the backcountry plays a role in the increase in searches is illustrated by the closure of the region in 2003 due to concerns over forest fire. In August during the closure there were 60 fewer calls.

However, McAllister believes it is all interrelated.

"The growth in the number of people participating in outdoor activities is probably larger than the increase in incidents, but it is hard to quantify," he said.

"There is a big movement toward healthy living, exercise, and that is part of it. There is also an increase in the number of tourists coming to the province so that also increases the number of people out there enjoying the outdoors.

"And there is a large growth in the nature-based tourism as well and that is all good."

While McAllister welcomes adventurers to B.C. he, and PEP, would like to see the number of search operations to stabilize or decrease. There has been much discussion about making people pay for their rescues, but in the end the model the province has chosen is to go with is an education program.

AdventureSmart, announced in 2004, is a provincial prevention initiative funded by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat New Initiatives Fund and the B.C. Search and Rescue Association along with corporate support. It also encompasses a number of outdoor safety programs that already exist, such as Hug a Tree and Survive, a program delivered to kids by SAR volunteers.

AdventureSmart youth teams also make presentations at schools, mountain bike races, ski races and other events to deliver the outdoor safety message to teens.

The outdoor safety message may already be making a dent in the numbers in some places. In Whistler and Pemberton, despite prime conditions this season, the number of rescues was down said Whistler SAR manager Brad Sills.

"Overall, I think people who are recreating in the Whistler area are probably becoming a little bit better versed with exit routes or travelling with better companions – more prepared people," said Sills.

"If you were to take Whistler as an example and look at the fact that various agencies within the community have been teaching outdoor awareness in the school system for probably over 10 years… I bet that has had some effect on behaviour. It could very well be why calls are down."

However, while calls are lower the technical difficulty of rescues is increasing, said Sills.

"The nature of the calls are escalating in terms of their urgency and they are becoming much more technical calls than they ever used to be," he said.

"I think that is a result of Whistler continuing to be a center of athleticism and outdoor pursuits and the fact that these "uber" athletes, the Class 5 (whitewater) paddlers and so on, continue to push the limits of their experience.

"So when things do go wrong they require more focused response and so our call volume is down but the nature of the calls is changing."

The Whistler SAR generally has 24 members said Sills and they are a good reflection of the experience in the resort. In general the Sea to Sky and North Shore rescue volunteers are the most experienced and highly trained in the province.

PEP does pay for SAR training through the Justice Institute but if teams want to take extra training in specialized skills or get specialized equipment they generally fundraise for it themselves. Whistler SAR spends about $45,000 to $60,000 annually on its operations, preparations and training.

Sills would like to see the government do more for some of the smaller teams in B.C. when it comes to those issues.

"You look at some search and rescue teams and it is asking a lot of volunteers in some communities to go out given the level of equipment they have and the nature of the task you are asking them do," he said.

"We don’t have that problem here in Whistler, but if I could change anything provincially I would ask for better recognition for other teams in the province."

Sills does see the teams in Pemberton, Squamish and Whistler working more and more closely together, especially as the 2010 Winter Games move closer.

McAllister said discussions are ongoing as to how SAR will fit into plans for the Games given the added visitors expected before and after the event.

"Certainly through the public safety planning for the Olympics all the volunteers and paid professionals agencies are being looked upon as resources," he said.

"We are certainly looking at it and thinking with tourists and people coming to Olympics it is likely they will go out to the backcountry as well. "Certainly we anticipate that there could be an increase in the number of incidents with the large number of visitors coming here."

But McAllister believes SAR is up to the challenge.

"Certainly B.C. is looked upon as one of the best models for search and rescue response in the country," he said.

Asked what he would like backcountry visitors to remember most he said: "People should think about what they need to take with them to keep themselves alive out in the bush until search and rescue can get out there. Please be prepared."

Websites

Provincial Emergency Program www.pep.bc.ca/ www.adventuresmart.ca

B.C. Search and Rescue Association – www.bcsara.com