Help is on the way for B.C.’s ground search and rescue volunteers.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced Saturday the province is committing $18.6 million to the B.C. Search and Rescue Association’s 80 teams over the next three years.
Following the announcement, North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks expressed relief.
“To be honest, it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air,” he said. “It is a very positive thing for search and rescue. I know it’s the biggest contribution they’ve ever given, so I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
The money is earmarked for training, administrative support and equipment renewals, though Danks said the team hasn’t learned yet how the money will be dispersed among the teams or what their spending priorities will be.
The announcement comes just one month after the province introduced the 2019 budget, which failed to renew $5 million per year in SAR funding previously put in place by the B.C. Liberals in 2016.
The B.C. Liberal caucus issued a release criticizing the NDP for “ignoring” search and rescue funding.
Danks said North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA Bowinn Ma contacted him last week, acknowledging they were disappointed not to have renewed funding in the budget, but that she was still advocating for them.
As one of the busiest teams in B.C., North Shore Rescue was entitled to $100,000 per year from the previous funding, which they spent mostly on training and equipment. Some of the big ticket items included training in helicopter hover exits, long-line rescues, and swiftwater and avalanches. The team also purchased some lifesaving gear including an AutoPulse system, a rope rescue training platform within the Tim Jones Rescue Centre, a helipad near Montizambert Creek and night vision equipment.
The province is also kicking more funding to Emergency Management BC to hire two additional staffers to work with BCSARA on the development and implementation of a new governance and funding model.
That’s something Danks said he will be watching closely.
“We’ve been looking for stable funding for so long. It seems like it just kind of get divvied out once in a while. It’s such a relief to have it but at the same time, long-term sustainable funding is what we need,” he said.
The announcement comes on top of the $9 million in base funding the province covers for operational costs for deployment and the insurance and liability for the 2,500 volunteers groups serving B.C. According to Emergency Management BC, they respond to about 1,600 incidents each year.
