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Kaslo Search and Rescue
To provide search & rescue services in the North Kootenay Lake region.
Can we drive our quads up there? Is it wide enough for our rescue truck? Where can we turn around? Is the bridge still intact? Have trees fallen across the road? Do we have clear radio communications? Do we have cell signal? Do we know all the view points, trailheads or places people could get in trouble? Where can we stage our resources from? Where could a helicopter land? These are just some of the questions we hope to already know the answers for, when a page for help comes in. This week, our team practiced our trailering and group travel skills while answering all of these questions on a reconnaissance trip up to Ben Hur trailhead, led by two members very experienced with the area. The beauty of a strong and cohesive team, is we all bring different experiences, skills and knowledge to the table, which we pool together and share during training and when that emergency call comes in and it matters most!
Throw Back Thursday to scouting out a new location during a training course, with the youngest truck in our fleet. We are incredibly grateful for all of the sponsor support that has allowed us to expand our single rescue truck into a fleet of three rescue trucks over the past 8 years. Prior to this, all towing (boat, quads, command trailer etc), travel to courses, larger responses to calls, travel during searches etc was done with members' personal vehicles. Thankfully, our reliance on and need to utilize personal vehicles, and the wear and tear placed on those vehicles, is much less now. This week, we highlight Rescue 503 – this truck is especially suitable for towing our heaviest equipment and is fully stocked with rescue gear and our secondary set of Road Rescue tools. This also allows us to respond to multiple calls simultaneously. Next week, we will highlight Rescue 502.
Having some fun at our weekly training session 😆 #volunteer #helicoptersounds
Last week, members rotated through two training stations – stretcher rigging for slope and vehicle extrication trying out our new air Ajax Rescue Tools from WFR Wholesale Fire & Rescue Ltd. Having quality, reliable rescue tools is crucial for all of our rescues. Training was wrapped up quickly when we received a page for reports of a boater in distress. Which station would you pick on a training night – vehicle extrication or rope rescue?
The team responded to 5 call outs in the past four weeks. These included missing persons who were located safely before the mobilized team left the hall, injured hikers, a boater in distress and two motor vehicle incidents. We are grateful for our dedicated team!
Slope rescue of a patient with a broken leg in a vehicle down an embankment, was the theme of this week's team training. While we treat some of our training scenarios as real calls, we slowed this training down, to include lots of valuable discussion that helps prepare the team for the real call out. The team first located the vehicle, assessed the situation and best method of rescue and then sent initial rescuers to assess the vehicle and patient while setting up and enacting a full rescue plan up top. We'd like to highlight two pieces of gear we used! Notice the wheel attached to the stretcher? This large wheel effectively holds the weight of our patient while rescuers guide it through terrain. This wheel is fairly heavy and wide, suitable for rough terrain. We have a second, titanium wheel that is light and skinny, easily hiked further into the back country for trail based rescues. The large tripod is called an Arizona Vortex and is widely used by many rescue professionals in several industries. We have it set up in the tripod configuration to offer an artificial high redirect for our ropes – keeping them from running on the ground. This versatile tool can also be configured as a bipod or monopod, depending on the need.
Throwback Thursday to a sunny June evening training! The team had a busy evening training with equipment on the boat, person overboard drills, area familiarization of high use recreation areas, transporting both of our quads on the boat and unloading onto various terrain. Our search dog, Kibou, trained to be comfortable in many situations, eagerly participated! Did you know, that we prepare for efficient emergency responses by training in areas that incidents have historically taken place, or where there is a high likelihood that they could take place? This preparation allows us to preplan many factors of a timely and effective response!
We want to congratulate Miranda on successfully completing her Non-Urban Emergency Care Advanced course! A group of our members poses this level of first aid, to be able to better care for our patients! Between an Auto Extrication course and this course, Miranda spent thirteen days, out of a fifteen day stretch, participating in SAR training! @peakemergency
Happy Canada Day! Many thanks to the wonderful band, The Barefoot Pickers, who had the idea and sang and played a fundraiser performance for us, the Angry Hen Brewing for hosting, the Old Growth Smokehouse for the 'on the house' delicious tray of ribs for our representing volunteers, and to all of you who generously stuffed cash into Rescue Randy's pockets! Thanks to all of you, the Barefoot Pickers raised a phenomenal $370, which they donated to our team 🙂 ![]()
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Wish you could have been there and wish you could have donated? Can't help with the first, but donations can always be made on our website! kaslosar.com/donate/
Wednesday, July 1 from 3–5pm, The Barefoot Pickers will be pluckin’ away on the patio thanks to the good folks at Kaslo Search & Rescue 🍺![]()
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There’s no cover, but this gig is a fundraiser for Search & Rescue and they’ll be collectin’ donations. So if you’ve got a few ‘bocks’ to toss their way, do it! ![]()
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(Because honestly, they’re the ones we all hope never to need… and are mighty glad to have when we do 🧡)![]()
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So come spend the afternoon with us, have a pint, enjoy the music, and celebrate Canada Day with a little bluegrass, a little sunshine, and some very good people behind it 🇨🇦🐔![]()
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Can’t wait to celebrate with, ya bunch of cluckers!![]()
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#canadaday #kasloevents #kaslobc