Yesterday (Sept. 26), Sea to Sky emergency responders came face-to-face with one of their most dreaded calls - people trapped in a submerged vehicle.
First responders and search and rescue volunteers participated in a course near Pemberton, teaching them how to save people from vehicles caught in fast moving water. It was the fist time such a course has been offered in Canada, stated a press release issued by Raven Rescue, the swiftwater rescue training company that put on the event.
"Rescuing people from a vehicle surrounded by fast-moving water is without a doubt one of the most high-risk incidents that firefighters or search and rescue members will ever face," executive director Walter Bucher said.
Last June, Nelson Search and Rescue volunteer Sheila Sweatman drowned while attempting to search a vehicle in the Goat River. This solidified Bucher's resolve to bring such training to Canada, he stated.
The course took place at Rutherford Creek Whitewater Kayak Park near Pemberton. Key partners in making the course a reality are the Squamish and Pemberton search and rescue teams, Bucher noted.
"This would not have happened without Jim Douglas of Squamish SAR and Paul Carus of Pemberton SAR," Bucher stated. "Their effort and dedication to this project is an example of the selfless approach that characterizes so many SAR team members in B.C."
Sea to Sky Ford in Squamish donated a car for the exercise.
