Arrowsmith Search and Rescue's new facility adjacent to the Qualicum Beach Airport is a major upgrade on how the group had operated in the past. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

GAME CHANGER

VIDEO: New Arrowsmith SAR operations & training centre officially opens

Oct 3, 2021 | 8:52 AM

QUALICUM BEACH — It’s seen as a game-changer for a group of life savers.

Arrowsmith Search and Rescue officially christened their new Operations Centre on Saturday, Oct. 2, seen as a major step forward in their ability to respond to whatever situations occur across the mid-Island.

Nick Rivers, Arrowsmith’s vice president, told NanaimoNewsNOW their old setup was about a quarter of the size of a new building located next to the terminal building of the Qualicum Beach airport.

“Now we can expand, fit all our vehicles in here, we can train and do regional training…bringing in Alberni Valley, West Coast, Comox, Campbell River search and rescue groups, the south Island too, we can do regional training and up the skills of every SAR team in Vancouver Island.”

Aside from the extra space and drive-thru bay doors on each side of the steel frame building, the centre’s crown jewel is dedicated washing and drying space for Arrowsmith’s equipment.

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Rivers said the room and attached HVAC systems dry gear in a few hours, rather than a couple of days.

“Every time we go on a task, equipment has to be sanitized, cleaned properly, dried properly, inspected and put back into service as quickly as possible. We’ve had to duplicate a lot of our equipment in the past because we haven’t had the ability to properly clean and dry that stuff.”

The location, a stone’s throw from the airport’s runway gives Arrowsmith better access to more equipment and more mutual aid with other groups such as the RCMP, air ambulance and military branches.

Denise Collins, a team lead and rope team member with Arrowsmith SAR, said the space comes just in time, with a spike in calls recently.

‘We’ve done a lot more rescues this year. I’ve been with search and rescue the last eight years and the last year and a half there’s been more rescues and of those, there’s been some technical rope rescues too.”

She said dedicated classroom space is also a big benefit for crews to keep skills sharp and up to date on the latest techniques.

The $1.2 million facility saw construction begin in 2020 and was helped along earlier in 2021 by a $500,000 loan to help the project finish quicker.

The operations centre will also serve as a hub in the event of a major disaster such as an earthquake. Approximately $150,000 in necessary costs were added to the bill in 2019 to facilitate this need.

Arrowsmith SAR covers the eastern portion of Vancouver Island from Deep Bay to just north of Lantzville but routinely assists through mutual aid to surrounding areas.

— with files from Kyle Ireland

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley