Frequently Asked Questions

There are many misconceptions about how Search and Rescue works, and here is a collection of some of the most frequently asked (and answered) question we receive.

If you have a question which is not in this section, please contact us.

Why do you volunteer?

Why do SAR members volunteer for SAR?

SAR team members spend a lot of time (see Membership) training, and then spend their time in the middle of the night or in the snow and rain looking for people. Why do they do it? That's a very good question.

One reason is for the sense of community involvement, givin back to the community and for the sense of satisfaction at helping people.

Another reason is for the sense of camaraderie at training and working together with a team, and shooting for a professional level of performance in every task.

And still another is the indefinable need to test one's limits in a wilderness setting. The same drive necessary to set a goal of climbing a mountain, shooting rapids or skiing, running or cycling long distances is what SAR members bring to looking for lost people.

Whatever reason our members have for volunteering, COSAR is extremely glad they do it.

Are SAR Teams Paid?
NO

All ground SAR teams in BC and all members of those teams are volunteers, with the exception of some teams in National Parks.

How do you pay for everything?

SAR teams are non-profit societies, and are funded through a variety of means.

Some receive a basic budget from the city or region they are based in, and the rest of the operating costs are obtained through fundraising and donations.

Costs incurred while performing a search or rescue operation are paid for by the Province of British Columbia. More info on this can be found at the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) Web site.

If you're interested in Search and Rescue in any way, please see our Support page.

If you're volunteers, are you well trained?
Yes

Search and rescue team members are very well trained.

Besides undergoing a long selection process, we have training five times a month and take courses on various subjects ranging from Wilderness First Aid, to crevasse rescue to tracking and navigation. See the training, membership, and people section for more info on training, selection and team skills.

If I get lost, do I have to pay for a rescue?
NO

The Government of British Columbia (the taxpayers of British Columbia) pays all costs associated with Search and Rescue.

A person who is in a car accident can expect emergency services to come and rescue them, perform first aid and deliver them to a hospital weather or not that person was at fault. In Canada, that person can expect all of these services to be paid for mostly by the government, and their own taxes. The same holds true for Search and Rescue; it does not matter to SAR volunteers weather the subject is lost or injured through their own fault, or through some misadventure, we will search for you, find you and render any assitance you may need, including transportation to Emergency Medical Services.

In fact, since all of the members of SAR teams are volunteers, the cost to the tax payers for Search and Rescue is extremely low. For instance, in 2004 the total cost to for all ground and inland water search and rescues was $1,1370,958 for 933 searches. Volunteers rescued just over 1000 people that year. This includes lost hunters, children, elderly people with varying forms of dementia (Alzheimers), mushroom pickers, snowmobilers, climbers, skiiers, and hikers.

For info can be found on the PEP web site

Don't you have to wait 24 hours before you report someone missing?
NO

If someone is lost, you should report them missing right away by calling the local Police or emergency number (usually 911).

Depending on their age, preparedness, health, and weather conditions, a decision can be made on when to initiate a search. Usually, if the person is unprepared and overdue from a hike, the decision will be to initiate a search immediately.
an I call Search and Rescue to help me?
NO

Search and Rescue teams cannot and do not initiate searches, they only provide search and rescue to local authorities who are in charge of the search and decide when to start and when to stop.

Ground search and rescue is managed by the RCMP or other local police agency. If you are lost or have a friend who is missing, call 911 or your local emergency number and the Police will handle the search. See the section of the web site on the structure of SAR in BC.

Isn't there just one "SAR " team?
NO

In British Columbia there are many Search and Rescue teams all over the province, in various districts. In the cental region of the province there are the following teams:

In addition, there is the Canadian Coast Guard who are responsible for all ocean rescue, and there is the Canadian Military () who are responsible for all Air rescue. Our local Military SAR squadron is the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based out of Comox, BC.

Doesn't the military or Coast Guard do SAR?
Yes

All Air Search and Rescue is handled by the Canadian Forces (442 Squadron), and all Marine Search and Rescue is handled by the Canadian Coast Guard.

Ground Search and Rescue is managed by the RCMP, who call on the resources of volunteer SAR teams when they need help. See the section of our web site on the structure of SAR in BC.

How many people are involved in Search and Rescue?
As of 2004, there were 4,700 registered Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers in B.C, supporting 77 separate teams. In 2004 these teams performed just over 900 searches and rescued over 1000 people.

How many searches are there?

On average there are 900 SAR responses in B.C. each year, helping more than 1,000 people in about 15 incidents per week.

there is about one incident every two weeks (on average) with the peak season being the summer months. Most incidents are not reported on the evening news. Ninety per cent of the people lost or in distress are found and returned alive.

How can I get involved?

There are Search and Rescue teams all over the province. If you would like to get involved, you can try to contact one in your area. To find out where the closes team is, you can look at the BC Search and Rescue Association web site where there is a profile on each team and the area it covers.

If you are interested in joining Search and Rescue, you can go to the section of the web site on membership and our selection process. You might also want to look at the training section to get more idea of what sorts of skills we look for and what sort of time commitment is involved.

In addition to Search and Rescue, there is Emergency Social Services which are called upon to respond to emergency situations by providing shelter and food, and assisting in the recovery from a natural disaster.

Finally, if you're interested in assisting your community for things like emegency preparedness, there are programs administerd by the Provincial Emergency Program that deal with this.