Search and rescue called out — and stood down — several times over weekend
It was a busy weekend — in what has been a busy year — for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue.
It started Friday evening with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) requesting assistance to assist a woman who fainted on the Kettle Valley Railway.
As COSAR was responding, she regained consciousness and was assisted out of the area by her companions and COSAR was stood down.
Early Saturday morning, BCEHS again requested COSAR’s assistance with a three-year-old motorcycle rider that had gone over a steep embankment in the Bear Creek riding area.
Again COSAR was stood down on route when the paramedics were able to reach the young rider.
Sunday morning, Kelowna RCMP requested assistance around 3 a.m. to search for an overdue hunter that was in the Sandrift Lake area and failed to return home earlier that evening.
“COSAR was mobilizing to start searching at first light with CASARA ( the Canadian Air Search And Rescue Association) when word came back that the RCMP had located the hunter in a forest service camp and had actually intended to stay over night and there was just a miscommunication at home,” a news release from COSAR stated.
COSAR Search Manager David Crawford would like to remind people that search and rescue services are free and that if you need our services call 911.
So far this year COSAR was been called out 29 times with April being our busiest month with 12 tasks.
“We had 82 callouts in 2020, our busiest year since we were founded in 1954,” Crawford said.
For more information on how to be better prepared in the outdoors, please go to AdventureSmart.ca