SCSAR Teams
Ground SAR Team
All active members participate in Ground SAR (GSAR) activities and trainings. SCSAR members are committed to responding to GSAR tasks and training regularly to provide emergency services. As professional volunteers, SCSAR proudly provides ground-based search and rescue services in the South Columbia region. GSAR members may also choose to contribute to specialty teams and provide additional services. SAR members leave the comfort of their own homes and families when they are called, at any time of day or night, 24/7/365.
Incident Command Post Team
Within Incident Command Post (ICP), the roles of Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Administration work together to manage all aspects of an incident. Our Command Team manages the SCSAR response to an incident. The Command Team is made up of skilled team members who have experience with a considerable numbers of incidents over the years. They possess the knowledge and certifications to manage groups of volunteers ranging in size from 5 people to over 500 people. From simple to complex emergency responses, working as our own unit or providing mutual aid to other SAR teams, the Command Team members ensure the highest standards of safety for our volunteers and for the public.
Medical Team
All South Columbia SAR members have at minimum basic first aid and CPR training. Emergency Management BC requires every volunteer to have at least 8 hours of training. Most of our team members have a higher level of training, including many members trained on Wilderness Advanced First Aid, and Wilderness First Responder. During these courses, members are trained to respond particularly in wilderness environments, covering relevant topics such as hypothermia, drowning, trauma, and more. Members are also trained to do first aid modified for the wilderness, including building splints, hypothermia wraps, and stretchers with only materials you’ve carried in. Our team is diverse and includes members who are paramedics, nurses, or medical doctors.
In addition to formal courses, team members attend team training sessions which include first aid topics, such as hypothermia, CPR, fracture management, or patient packaging. These sessions are more informal and meant to be a review and way of practicing our skills within the team.
Rope Rescue Team
The Rope Rescue Team is comprised of members who have undergone additional training as Rope Rescue Technicians, at a minimum. This training involves many hours of practice for rescue-level operations and formal evaluations. The Rope Rescue Team operates in high-angle terrain where the GSAR team cannot safely access subjects. Operations typically occur in steep and cliffy terrain.
Jet Boat Team
The Jet Boat team has many functions, but the primary purpose is searching for missing subjects, capsized watercraft, responding to distress calls and other emergencies along rivers and lakes. The Jet Boat team also provides transport to GSAR members for remote searches, and the boat team can provide additional emergency services during flooding scenarios. The Jet Boat Team is a separate discipline from the Swiftwater Team, which allows both teams to train and act independently while supporting each others' operations.
Winter Rescue Team
SCSAR responds to incidents in Kootenay Pass, which is a hub for backcountry skiing. SCSAR has both certified Organized Avalanche Response Team Member and Team Leaders among other certifications. These members are trained to safely respond to backcountry incidents in avalanche terrain. Winter team members are trained to evaluate mountain terrain for safe navigation, to conduct coarse avalanche searches using beacon, probes and shovels, and to conduct fine searches and grid searches as required.
Swiftwater Team
Our Swiftwater Team is a group of dedicated members who have received extra training in swiftwater and flood response. Swiftwater is considered any water running faster than 2 km/hr. This specialized team responds to incidents involves swiftwater or floods, and it includes wading and swimming operations, as well as raft and other man-powered vessel response. All Swiftwater Team members are trained, at a minimum, to be swiftwater technicians.