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The Search and Rescue pie

The Search and Rescue pie Search and Rescue (SAR) statistics in B.C. are collected by the Provincial Emergency Program, which coordinates the activities of many agencies including emergency services and Search and Rescue when dealing with incidents.

The Search and Rescue pie

Search and Rescue (SAR) statistics in B.C. are collected by the Provincial Emergency Program, which coordinates the activities of many agencies including emergency services and Search and Rescue when dealing with incidents. The bill for things like helicopter time and meals for SAR volunteers also goes through the PEP, which budgets money each year to cover the cost of rescues.
According to PEP spokesman Glen Plummer, the province averages roughly 1,200 searches and rescues a year, some of which may not include Search and Rescue teams. That total also does not include marine searches that fall under federal jurisdiction and are usually coordinated by the Coast Guard.
Of those 1,200 calls, roughly 24 per cent are for hiking incidents, and 12 per cent for freshwater boating including powerboats (roughly seven per cent of all calls) and canoes/kayaks (five per cent of calls). Snowmobile incidents count for about seven per cent of the total, and backckountry skiing and snowboarding about three per cent, the same as for mountain biking. Hunters account for roughly 2.5 per cent of calls, rock climbers, two per cent, and pickers - berries, mushrooms, etc. - account for three per cent.
Various other calls, which could include everything from the response to plane crashes to rescuing people who work in the backcountry, account for the other 35 per cent.
The cost of answering those calls is roughly $1.5 million annually, or roughly $1,250 per call.
According to Plummer, the cost varies. "It includes things like fuel for vehicles, if there are helicopters involved, meals for SAR volunteers, that sort of thing," he said.

Avalanche deaths in 2008-09
As of press time on Jan. 21 there have been 16 avalanche deaths reported in Canada in seven difference incidents, including 15 deaths in B.C.

· On Dec. 28, eight residents of Sparwood, B.C., near the town of Fernie, were killed when a series of avalanches hit their party in the Harvey Pass area. According to reports, a group of seven snowmobilers were buried in the initial slide, and a second group joined the search when a second and third avalanche hit. Three men managed to escape, although they were digging out another member of the party when the last avalanche struck.

All of the snowmobilers wore avalanche transceivers, but members of the second party switched from send to receive in the initial search. A storm and nightfall delayed the search, which proceeded carefully because of the avalanche risk. Some bodies were found under more than three metres of snow.

· On Dec. 31, two men were killing by avalanches in closed areas on Whistler and Blackcomb. A 37-year-old skier, Steve Clark, was recovered in the Ruby Bowl area on Blackcomb. Aaron Fauchon, a 26-year-old snowboarder, was recovered in the Secret Chute area of Symphony Bowl. Both areas were marked as beyond ski patrol boundaries, and there was a sign at the entrance to Spanky's Ladder, which accesses Ruby Bowl, saying the avalanche hazard was high and there was no avalanche control.

· Jan. 8 - An American snowboarder, 39, was injured on Alice Mountain, near Terrace B.C. while on a helicopter skiing trip. He was injured in the second of two slides to hit the group, and was buried for 10 minutes before three groups of skiers pulled him out. He was taken to Terrace Mills Memorial Hospital, and then flown to the U.S., but did not survive.

·Jan. 11 - Five snowmobilers were buried in an avalanche near Chetwynd, B.C. The rest of the group dug out four of the five snowmobilers alive, and the fifth was already dead by the time the rescuers could get to him.

·Jan. 11 - A 24-year-old snowmobiler was killed on Mara Mountain, part of a group of four men.

·Jan. 15 - A 37-year-old hiker was killed on Thursday in the Canmore area in Alberta.

·Jan. 16 - A 33-year-old snowmobiler was killed in the Monashee Mountain near Valemount, part of a group of seven snowmobilers. The man was located within 15 minutes, and friends performed CPR for two hours until a helicopter arrived.

·Jan. 16 - Another snowmobiler was killed on Babcock Mountain near Tumbler Ridge, part of a group of five. The victim was reported to be high-marking at the time, racing his snowmobile up a steep slope to see how high he could go before turning around and heading back down.


Snowmobile Federation issues warning
The B.C. Snowmobile Federation sent out an advisory last week suggesting its members to take special care when venturing into the backcountry.
"We had a release going out today (Jan. 15), and we are doing a deal to get it posted on radio channels throughout B.C.," said Les Auston, general manager of the BCSF.
"It's more than just one thing happening (in the avalanche deaths). I don't think people are ignoring the risks, but we don't know how much education is out there. People need to know areas before they go out so they know what to look for, they need the proper safety equipment, and they need to know how to use it.
"We're telling people the conditions in B.C. are volatile in most areas, and with the changing weather conditions this could change - it could make it worse, or it could make it better. Until we know, we're telling people to be extra cautious about going out into the backcountry."
As for telling people to avoid the backcountry altogether, Auston says it's not necessary if snowmobilers know the area.
"The terrain is different almost anywhere you go, and some areas have gradual slopes and small features, and some are steeper and have bigger features. For example, you could be at 7,000 feet in the Kelowna Graystokes area, which is alpine meadows, and you could be at 6,000 feet in Smithers with fairly steep grades all around. Definitely snowmobilers should stay out of riskier areas where slides are known to occur."
According to Auston, his organization represents clubs with more than 5,000 members. That's still a small portion of the estimated 100,000 snowmobilers in the province.
He encourages snowmobilers to join their local clubs, and benefit from courses offered by the BCSF.
"Safety has been our number one mandate for 44 years," Auston said. "One of the benefits is we offer safe operator courses for free to members of clubs, and we host avalanche courses every year. We work with the Canadian Avalanche Association, that has allocated instructors to give avalanche courses every year."

 



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