Last evening's two rescues in Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park were the 85th and 86th tasks for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, marking the busiest year in their 67 year history.
The first call came in at 2:30 pm when a cyclist on the KVR suffered a suspected heart attack.
Half and hour later, a second call came in for an injured adventure racer on the Crawford DH trail, about three kilometers away from the first incident. He was transported out using Penticton Search and Rescue’s helicopter.
“It was a dubious milestone,” says COSAR president Brad Trites. “The huge volume of tasks is starting to take its toll.”
To that end, COSAR has started recruiting new members until Oct. 31.
“We are looking for people with outdoor skills, but also with availability. We expect a minimum of 200 hours of volunteer time annually and many members give five or six times that,” said Trites.
Last year COSAR volunteered over 20,000 hours.
An open house in October will be followed by short-listing interviews, reference checks and then 90 hours of basic training.
Details and the application can be found at Cosar.ca.
COSAR is the oldest search and rescue organization of its kind in B.C. and currently has 51 members.