Nanaimo Search and Rescue will be better equipped to handle its duties, thanks in part to an $88,000 donation.
The volunteer-based, non-profit group is reliant on donations to operate. Combining the donation with gaming grants and assistance from Budget Rent A Car and Woodgrove Chrysler, the organization was able to replace a pair of old rescue vehicles with a 2010 Ford F-350 Super Duty truck and a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500.
The Ford will be used for rope rescue and the Dodge will be used as a swiftwater rescue truck.
The $88,000 came from the mother of Robert Brondyke, an 18-year-old man who drowned in the Nanaimo River in 1986, and the trucks were dedicated in his honour. She has donated generously to Nanaimo Search and Rescue through the years.
The trucks were modified to better suit Nanaimo Search and Rescue’s needs.
“This one [Ford F-350] was just a pickup before and we got the canopy … when you open the back it slides out and all our equipment’s there,” said Kevin McNeill, search manager and past-president of the Nanaimo Search and Rescue Society.
“[The Dodge Ram], we took the box off the old truck and put it on [the new one] because that is the reason we bought the old one in the first place, because it had this box on it that is in great shape. It’s aluminum, it’s never going to rust, so it’s sturdy.”
Both Michael Hayes of Woodgrove Chrysler and Dave Weiner of Budget knew members of search and rescue and were happy to assist.
“We were liquidating some vehicles and they needed one … Budget has helped them out in the past, so we ended up helping them out with the purchase of [the Ford] as well,” said Weiner.
“We got them an amazing deal on [the Dodge Ram] and donated a lot of the parts and labour on some of the things they put on it to get it ready,” said Hayes. “It definitely didn’t look like this when they took it from us. They’ve done a ton of work on it themselves.”
