Recently 4 of the newer members of Coquitlam SAR participated in a 3-day training course to qualify as Swiftwater Rescue Technicians. Colin Saurette of Coquitlam SAR is a certified SRT instructor and taught the course for our team, as well as for 3 members of the Vancouver Police Department. In our search area we often …
On Monday, June 11th, Coquitlam SAR was tasked by BC Ambulance Service to rescue an injured motorcycle trials rider in the Belcarra area. The rider had fallen from his bike, and he suspected he had broken his lower leg. A rapid response from Coquitlam SAR members in the area saw a team heading up the trail towards the …
Team members Josh Henshaw and Nick Zupan are on a European climbing vacation, and sent this update today: Nick and I have met up in Slovenia. We climbed the North Face of Triglav yesterday. The roped climbing itself was about 800 metres of mixed terrain, with a bit of excitement thrown in. There was a significant amount …
Last year, Coquitlam SAR announced our intention to develop a significant new rescue capability within the team. The technique, known within the BC Search and Rescue community as the Helicopter External Transportation System, or HETS, is also known as “long line”, “short haul” or “Class D operations.” Pioneered by Parks Canada Mountain Safety, and adopted by SAR …
Four Coquitlam SAR members recently participated in a hypothermia workshop. The class was taught by Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, professor of thermophysiology at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Giesbrecht is a ground-breaking expert in cold research and education. So we were all pretty excited! We learned about the physiological effects of cold water immersion and submersion. …