BC search and rescue teams rescued more than 1,750 people in 2022, says report

Search and rescue teams across the province helped rescue more than 1,750 people last year.

A report released late last week to mark the BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) 20th anniversary shows that BC’s 78 SAR teams saved 1,019 lives and were called out to 1,510 tasks in 2022.

An astonishing 441,026 total hours of service were logged by more than 3,400 SAR members last year.

That includes training for avalanches, helicopter hover exits, rope rescue, swift water rescues, helicopter long line rescues and more.

Of course, not all volunteers are human. The BCSARA says there are 12 avalanche and 17 wilderness tracking dogs on hand across the province.

Of course, summer is the busiest season for SAR teams across the province as residents and visitors head out into the backcountry for hikes, camping, biking, boating and more.

Nearly 40% of the rescue tasks happened in the summer with 22% in the spring, 20% in the winter and another 19% of tasks occurring in the fall time.

The largest rescue task involved hiking at 41%, followed by “other recreational activities” at 26% while biking rescues accounted for 11% of all tasks, 8% were related to driving and skiing and sledding rescues both accounted for 7% of all rescues last year.

Although lost or injured hikers account for many of the tasks seen by SAR teams, they also help with urban searches for dementia patients, delivering evacuation notices during emergencies and rescuing injured animals or pets.

For example, the report says SAR teams rescued 49 dogs.

Unfortunately, not all callouts end on a positive note. The report says 71 people were still missing when the search was suspended and 94 bodies were recovered last year.

“The majority of all incidents are quickly resolved,” the report says.

“However, some incidents require other GSAR groups to be called in to assist with some searches lasting several days and including hundreds of volunteers.”

All SAR team members in BC are volunteers who are often not paid for their services.

The province pays 100% of expenses incurred during a search and rescue while funding provided to each group is dedicated for training, equipment and readiness, the report says.

BCSARA is the only search and rescue association in Canada to successfully secure ongoing government funding to support search and rescue readiness, which accounted to $6 million last year.

However, the report says that if volunteers and members were paid, it would account to more than $11 million in annual costs.

To view the full report, feel free to visit this link.