Responsibility, coverage area grows for Metchosin search and rescue

ItB次元官网网址檚 2 a.m. and raining when Craig Barlow is awoken by his phone. It could be a lost hiker on Mount Finlayson, a senior citizen that wandered away from a care home, or someone who has vanished.

In any event, he has 40 minutes to collect his wits and arrive at the incident scene. Time is of the essence when seeking someone likely disoriented, scared and exposed to the elements.

Barlow is the group leader and search manager for Metchosin Search and Rescue, a 30-person volunteer group that started small in 1989 in partnership with Pearson College.

Two decades later, and as various SAR teams have disbanded, the Metchosin squad has inherited search and rescue responsibilities across the West Shore, Victoria, Oak Bay and Esquimalt.

B次元官网网址淚t was only Metchosin in the early days, but the area of responsibility has slowly grown,B次元官网网址� says Barlow, a 21-year veteran of SAR. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e Metchosin Search and Rescue in name only now. Even some of the police donB次元官网网址檛 know and wonder why Metchosin is called out.B次元官网网址�

With greater responsibility comes more searches. Until a few years ago, Metchosin SAR attended about four incidents per year, typically lost hikers or persons intent on taking their own life. In 2010 callouts were up to 14.

The volume isnB次元官网网址檛 expected to ease. Metchosin SAR group had two incidents in January this year, mutual aid callouts B次元官网网址� one on China Beach for a missing male and the second in Duncan for Tyeshia Jones, an 18-year-old who was found murdered.

Metchosin SAR was also involved in the evidence search in two Langford locations after the murder of Kimberly Proctor last March. All SAR calls are treated equally, Barlow says, but itB次元官网网址檚 difficult to keep emotions in check when incidents involve young people or children.

B次元官网网址淚 like to think itB次元官网网址檚 the same level of effort regardless, but the reality is itB次元官网网址檚 not true. There is a heightened level of awareness,B次元官网网址� Barlow says. B次元官网网址淲hen people join the group the likelihood is real they may be required to work a murder or a suicide, there is a high likelihood theyB次元官网网址檒l find a deceased victim.B次元官网网址�

Urban searches are becoming more common, especially for people suffering from dementia or AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚, but not always. Last year they searched for a young suicidal teen who was found somewhere between Fairfield and her momB次元官网网址檚 home in James Bay.

More typical though, is a search for hikers lost in the woods, often due to starting their hike too late in the day with poor clothing and few provisions. In the summer of 2009 Metchosin SAR found a young woman at the top of Mount Finlayson at midnight. Too dangerous to hike down, the team kept her warm and safe until dawn.

B次元官网网址淪he was dressed in shorts and running shoes,B次元官网网址� Barlow says. The lost girl called 9-1-1 on her cellphone, a technology which makes SAR easier but also engenders bad habits.

B次元官网网址淗aving voice contact makes searching easier. On the flip side, (cellphones) make people cavalier about how they approach hiking. Most people are very poorly prepared, without enough food or water, and clothing thatB次元官网网址檚 too light.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淢ost people have no awareness of the level of search theyB次元官网网址檝e mobilized,B次元官网网址� adds David Richardson, a Metchosin SAR volunteer for two years. B次元官网网址淢any lost hikers donB次元官网网址檛 realize 15 people have been up all night in the rain.B次元官网网址�

Urban or wooded, the search radius depends on the length of time a person is missing. More than 12 hours and the search grid becomes B次元官网网址渢he rest of the world.B次元官网网址� But SAR members arenB次元官网网址檛 methodical to a fault B次元官网网址� they check the logical spots first, such as nearby trails.

B次元官网网址淢ost people walk in circles for hours and get more lost. What they should do is stop and stay still,B次元官网网址� Barlow says.

B次元官网网址淏ut when you find someone itB次元官网网址檚 gratifying beyond belief. ItB次元官网网址檚 disheartening when you find nothing. ItB次元官网网址檚 frustrating not being able to provide closure to a family.B次元官网网址�

Despite covering a large piece of the Capital Region, most Metchosin SAR members are from the Metchosin area. They tend to be backcountry oriented and B次元官网网址渟afety conscious adventurers,B次元官网网址� Richardson says.

Indeed, the final phase of ground SAR certification is about gaining empathy with someone who is lost in the forest. Being an outdoor type helps.

B次元官网网址淒uring training the last thing you do is spend the night in the woods,B次元官网网址� Richardson says. B次元官网网址淣o tent, no sleeping bag.B次元官网网址�

editor@goldstreamgazette.com