Squamish Search and Rescue were called in for four incidents over three days recently, as the summer high season continues to attract many recreationalists to town.
The calls occurred between Aug. 6 to 9, pushing the total number of incidents for the year to 104. Rescuers are well on track to break another all-time high record this year, after last year’s 124 calls.At this time in 2020, the call count was 72, and the previous year it was at 61.
Rescue manager B.J. Chute noted the multi-agency responses prompted by the calls and said it was a testament to the high level of co-operation between first responders.“I think this weekend highlights the dedication and co-operation that Squamish Search and Rescue has with the other emergency responders in our community, such as Squamish Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance paramedics,” said Chute.
“We’ve seen a number of co-responses this year, and having that tight relationship allows those responses to be so much more efficient and quicker on the ground. So we’re quite fortunate to have that relationship with our emergency services colleagues.”On Aug. 6, rescuers were alerted about an overdue hiker on the Stawamus Chief trail, but this was found to be a miscommunication between friends.
Crews tracked the man’s cell and found he was coming down the main backside trail. RCMP officers met the hiker and rescuers stood down.The next day, crews helped out a stranded person who was on a rock in Pitt River. That person was part of a group that was hiking through Garibaldi Park with pack rafts.
Over the course of their trip, things took a wrong turn and one of the group was stranded on the rock.Search and rescue crews longlined a swiftwater technician down to help. They were able to airlift the stranded person out to safety, but couldn’t make a complete flight out of the area due to bad weather conditions.
As a result, they found shelter at a nearby fishing lodge, and stayed the night. Once things cleared up, they were able to fly out.On Aug. 8, rescuers were called in to help search for a man who fell off his paddleboard in Alice Lake. They stood down when the person wasn’t found.
RCMP later declared that divers had found the drowned man that evening.Finally, on Monday, rescuers were called in to help a hiker in medical stress on the Stawamus Chief trail.
An off-duty firefighter assisted the person, and paramedics, firefighters and search and rescue found the hiker and walked him down the path.Chute said he didn’t know the nature of the medicala issue, as that was being taken care of by paramedics.
Again, Chute called on folks to prepare for their respective endeavours, and he noted that even a quick web search of a destination could make a world of difference.
