Elk Valley search and rescue volunteers have been praised for their dedication and professionalism while responding to a series of emergencies across the Kootenays.
On Sunday, Sparwood Search and Rescue Manager Ed Ehrler took to Facebook to express his gratitude to his 22 active SAR members and four members in training.
“It’s been an extraordinarily busy week and a half for our volunteer members, and we can’t say enough about their dedication and professionalism through it all,” he said.
The first incident Sparwood SAR responded to was a fatal apartment fire at Sparwood Heights on the night of August 9.
Members were tasked with transporting evacuees and staff to a reception centre they helped set up with the Sparwood and B.C. Emergency Social Services team.
The following Friday and Saturday, several Sparwood SAR members were participating in a joint rope rescue training exercise with Kimberley SAR when they were called to deliver evacuation alerts to communities affected by wildfires in the Ta Ta Creek and St. Mary Lake areas.
In the week that followed, Sparwood SAR members had little time to rest, assisting with the search for a missing hiker in the Jumbo Pass area, west of Panorama, and delivering more evacuation alerts in response to two wildfires.
The first was close to home, in the Corbin area southeast of Sparwood, where the Leach Creek fire threatened 10 properties before being brought under control.
The second was on Saturday in Kimberley, where Sparwood SAR assisted the local SAR and several other agencies in delivering evacuation alerts to every household in the City of Kimberley as the Meachen Creek fire continued to burn.
“And even after all that there are still other SAR groups in B.C. who have been much busier than us.” said Ehrler.
“So we would like to once again say a huge thank you to all of our and other British Columbia Search and Rescue Association volunteers, all emergency responders and emergency management workers, both paid and volunteer, and everyone else who has put in their time and expertise during this extremely challenging summer across the province.”
