Arrowmith Search and Rescue personnel are among 79 ground SAR teams to benefit from sustained annual funding from the province (Arrowsmith SAR)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Security blanket

Sustained funding kicks in for ground search and rescue volunteers

Jun 16, 2022 | 5:23 AM

NANAIMO — Much-needed reliable annual funding has made its way to dedicated ground search and rescue operations in the province.

The BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) confirmed on Wednesday, June 15 the first delivery of annual funding from the province to B.C.’s 79 ground search and rescue teams.

More than $4.9 million in 2022 is directly supporting about 3,000 search and rescue volunteers, while $1 million goes to the BCSARA for its daily operations, which includes prevention and critical incident stress management programs.

Qualicum Beach based Arrowsmith Search and Rescue president Nick Rivers said the $58,000 they recently received goes a long way for their organization.

“It’s about 35 to 40 per cent of our annual operating costs of our needs to keep going and that’s huge, it’s a big step every year.”

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Arrowsmith SAR president Nick Rivers said a sustainable funding model allows SAR organizations to focus more on training and helping people in distress. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Rivers said having definite funding moving forward is key for their ability to focus more on public safety as opposed to constantly worrying about where the money will come from.

“We’re putting in excess of 10,000 hours a year as a team and asking those members to also go out and do fundraisers is a lot,” Rivers told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The province delivered on a commitment in the 2020 budget to deliver annual funding of $6 million to support ground SAR teams province-wide starting in 2022.

The permanent funding followed one-time funding of nearly $19 million in 2019 to ground SAR organizations in B.C.

Rivers credited the BCSARA for strongly lobbying for the sustained funding.

“That was all done by them and it has been fantastic for us.”

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