The Nechako Valley Search and Rescue will be purchasing some much-needed search management equipment after receiving a $1,200 donation from the Vanderhoof Community Foundation.
President Christopher Walker said they were pleased to receive the grant that will be used to replace their old set, which was beginning to fall apart and was not budgeted for.
The equipment is called Incident Command System (ICS) position desks, he said.
“When we’re on task we wear these vests that are colored-coded, have our names on them and our positions, and it helps identify who we are when we’re on a task which is very important for keeping the scene in order.”
Efforts to locate missing persons or provide aid to people in imminent danger sometimes attract search and rescue teams and emergency services from across B.C. to render assistance.
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It important they know as do the family of the subject and other members of the public who is looking after things and who to approach with their questions, said Walker.
“We’ve placed an order for 12, which covers every position in the ICS and then if we have any extra money from that donation, we’ll put it towards other personnel protective equipment as well.”
Base training and expenses of search and rescue groups are often covered by provincial funding with donations by various groups and individuals assisting in upgrading equipment and completing extra training that may not have been budgeted for.
More than 10 Nechako Valley Search and Rescue members were certified last month in swift water rescue.
They’ll be honing in their skills during a joint ground search and rescue training session on the Nechako River at Riverside Park starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 19.
“If people want to come out and watch us do our stuff we’ll be down there,” Walker said.
“We’ll have three jet boats in the water and do some cool water training.”
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