Fernie Search and Rescue

With the seasons changing on a daily basis this spring it’s a sharp reminder to be prepared for anything when venturing into the Fernie outdoors. Whether it’s consideration about the animals I might encounter on the trails, the weather that might change or the terrain I might cross, I can never be certain it will actually be just a stroll in the woods.

This month is a great time to appreciate a huge community resource we have on our doorstep that works tirelessly to prepare for an event that they hope never happens – the Fernie Search and Rescue team.

While we’re all enjoying leisure time with friends in the evening there is a team of 20 hard-core volunteers training religiously to prepare for an emergency. They are people from our community that you see every day, our café baristas, mechanics, ski instructors, business owners, members of our community that have our backs covered.

I caught up with Simon Piney, Treasurer and Chris Thomas, President and one of the Search Managers, who put in 100’s of hours of their time to run Fernie‘Search and Rescue (SAR) and manage over 80 volunteers on their call out list.

“One of our biggest challenges is the training more than the response,” explains Simon. “Call outs are often critical and we need to practice to be prepared for any eventuality.”

“The training is crucial. We need to know our equipment, how to use it, and how we work as a team. It requires a lot of practice and it’s very demanding on volunteers’ time.”

Just to give you an idea of what’s involved it takes on average four hours training a month to be an active volunteer plus various courses, an additional ten hours a month to become a ropes specialist and 20 hours a month for staff to run SAR.

Fernie SAR covers a huge area, from the US border – Lake Koocanusa – Sparwood – Top of the World. You’ve only got to glance at a map to realize that the terrain is remote and challenging.

“Last year Fernie SAR established a Rope Rescue team after many hours of training, this new team allows us to safely access terrain which in the past would have been too dangerous for our team members,” explains Chris.

“We’re also working on the development of a ‘swift water’ team to enable us to perform river rescues. Our training course is in May and we will be the only specialist team in the area doing this once when the course is complete. The team will practice at least once a month from then on.”

It’s usually the RCMP that contacts the Provincial Emergency Program requesting the assistance of Fernie SAR. A task often begins with a call from friends and family worried about a missing or injured person. Quite often it’s in the worst weather, late at night, or in inhospitable terrain. Typically it is just the big disasters such as avalanches and river rescues we read about in the paper.

When Fernie SAR is activated the SAR member on duty receives a description of the incident from the reporting agency, determines the best course of action and assembles the team. Phone calls are made and if you’re part of the ‘Hasty Team’ you will have a back pack waiting at your door at all times, prepared with all of the equipment, food and water needed to be self sufficient for 24 hours. Any call out will include a minimum of one First Aider and a team of four people, and in winter a Level 1 or 2 Avalanche Technician who is often also a CARDA dog handler is always part of the team.

If it will take more than two hours to get to a suspected incident site the initial team is typically dispatched by helicopter, weather permitting and the logistics of keeping communications with the rescue team become even more crucial.

While the rescue team is out an equally important volunteer team is back at base managing radio dispatch, logistics, phone calls and other operational support. Quite often there are press enquires and family members seeking information, so base operations are key in enabling the rescue teams to access and function in the field.

“It’s our responsibility as a rescue team to keep ourselves safe and out of trouble. Being able to report progress, get more volunteers to a scene and get everyone home safely comes down to communication. Chris Thomas’ expertise in this area has transformed where Fernie SAR can now go in the back-country and still communicate with base,” explains Simon.

It’s all too easy to get into trouble in the backcountry of Fernie, as many rescued survivors will tell you. Information can be sparse and while a ‘rescue’ can be an in and out operation, a ‘search’ could be the whole valley and terms like “needle in a haystack” come to mind! So if I could encourage you to do one thing to help yourself and the Fernie SAR team it’s this:

Before heading into the backcountry leave a trip plan with someone and don’t change your mind! If you get into trouble that single bit of information could save your life.

Fernie SAR has been running since the early 90’s and relies entirely on volunteers and donations. If you would like more information please check out their website at www.ferniesar.ca