After a quiet December, Golden & District Search and Rescue (GADSAR) has had a busy month responding to three calls since Jan. 3.
All three calls involved transporting patients for the B.C. Ambulance Service, according to a press release from the organization.
The first call occurred on Jan. 3 to help evacuate a patient with a back injury. The ambulance carrying the patient got blocked by a tow truck that was stuck in a ditch. GADSAR transported the patient to hospital in a toboggan on a snowmobile to a second ambulance located three kilometres away.
The second call took place on Jan. 18 to help evacuate a patient who hit a tree while skiing at Chatter Creek. The patient was accessed as stable and transported by helicopter to the Golden Airport, where GADSAR’s headquarters are located.
The third call came in on Jan. 23 when a man experiencing a medical emergency was taken from Sunshine Lodge, once again by air, to Golden Airport.
In addition to the rescue operations, two GADSAR volunteers underwent training in January to learn how to use a new RECCO search and rescue helicopter, which is currently on loan to Alpine Helicopters. The device uses a longline underneath the helicopter in order to search a large area for a missing person in all seasons.
The device can search a square kilometre in approximately six minutes.
