The Province of B.C. has granted record funding for ground search and rescue (GSAR) groups in B.C much to the delight of the Cariboo Regional District.
Announced early Saturday morning on March 23, this one time-funding for GSAR’s is $18.6-million and will be used for groups across the province for the next three years.
This was welcome news to the ears of Margo Wagner, the chair of the CRD, and other supports of Central Cariboo Search and Rescue. Wagner and other members of the CRD had been preparing to send an emergency resolution before the government after an announcement that funds allotted to GSAR’s had been rescinded.
Read More: Provincial government needs to fund search and rescue: CRD
“We had a discussion yesterday about the province pulling funding from the search and rescue and we just learned today they’re giving $18.6-million to search and rescue, which is huge. In the 2017 fires, we really learned how valuable they are to assist us in evacuations and all that sort of stuff,” Wagner said. “This is an important funding announcement for them because they run on a nickel, literally, and they can’t continue to do the work they do on bake sales and donations alone.”
This funding once divided up and made available, will go directly to GSAR’s like CCSR here in Williams Lake. Wagner said this money is crucial as much of the gear they rely on needs to be constantly maintained and replaced, especially ropes and other lines they use for rescue work.
The CRD, Wagner said, is likely to withdraw the emergency resolution from consideration at the next meeting, though she added that across the province this issue with consistent funding GSAR’s seems to constantly come up at AGMs. The news that the Province is looking into setting up consistent, reliable funding for search and rescue, however, makes Wagner hopeful.
Having consistent funding for a local organization that knows the community and the surrounding area is extremely important, in Wagner’s opinion, for both the community and search and rescue efforts.
The government intends for this funding to bolster training, provide administrative support and equipment renewals for GSAR’s and the B.C. Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA). In addition, it will provide support for both the government and BCSARA to implement a new governance and funding model.
“In discussions with BCSARA, I’ve heard the ground search and rescue community’s strong concerns about the need for both an immediate infusion of funding and a clearer path toward long-term sustainable funding,” Mike Farnworth, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said. “That’s why we’re providing a record level of funding as an immediate top-up of what B.C.’s GSAR groups are already receiving, as well as establishing a joint committee to move more quickly toward developing a sustainable funding model.”
Read More: Province announces $18.6 million for B.C. Search and Rescue
This $18.6-million is historical as it marks the single largest investment by the province into GSAR groups. In fact, it’s a 24 per cent increase from the $5-million per year in supplemental funding announced in 2016. Emergency Management B.C. has also received enough funding to create two new staff positions dedicated to working with the BCSARA on the implementation of the new upcoming governance and funding model.
With the creation of this partnership committee between Emergency Management B.C. and the BCSARA, which will set policy direction and consistent standards for search and rescue, alongside a management committee, which will make joint decisions on the distribution of funding to B.C.’s 80 search and rescue groups.
“On behalf of the 80 ground search and rescue groups and 2,500 members across the province, our thanks to the provincial government for the single largest influx of funding for search and rescue to date,” Chris Kelly the president of the BCSARA said. “The funds will provide critical core supports over the next three years, while final details are completed in the short term on a sustainable model.”
The province traditionally provides funding of this kind annually, $9-million in 2017-2018, to cover the operational, training costs of the various GSAR’s. Working with these GSAR’s are almost 2,500 registered volunteers providing this vital public safety service and who respond to over 1,600 incidents each year.
patrick.davies@wltribune.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
