Photo: VSAR

Since its formation in 1960, Vernon Search and Rescue has saved an untold number of lives.

Covering 7,500-square kilometres, which includes lakes, Alpine, rivers, valleys, and various other terrains, members of VSAR answer whenever the call for help is heard.

And they are looking for new recruits to join the elite volunteer organization.

Leigh Pearson has been with VSAR for the past 41 years and said the benefits of being with such a tight knit group of people and the work they do is immense.

“There is no financial reward, but the personal rewards are huge. To bring somebody back from the brink, as it were, is hugely rewarding,” Pearson said. “Going out and helping somebody that needs help and not expecting anything in return other than your own peace of mind and knowing you did the right thing, you did something to help somebody in need.”

An informational open house will be held at the VSAR building, 5150 Silver Star Road, March 12 at 7 p.m.

Registration is required to attend and more information can be found on the VSAR website.

To become a VSAR member, there is a commitment on the volunteer's part.

“What we look for are people that are able and willing to drop everything they are doing at a moment's notice to go and help somebody that is in distress,” Pearson said.

And while there is some leeway in that area, volunteers should be committed to doing so as best they can.

“We are looking for a commitment, but we realize they are volunteers and can't be on call 24-7, 365 days a year,” Pearson said. “We realize that you have a job, you have a family and you have to look after that too, but we need you to respond more often than not.”

Training is also part of the commitment.

The first part of the ground search and rescue training includes eight-weeks of training session that takes place several evenings a week for two or three hours per session.

“In that, there will also be a couple of outdoor things including, at the end of it all, an outdoor camp where you have to build yourself a survival shelter and spend the night out in the middle of nowhere,” Pearson said. “Which is actually kind of fun.”

Once the course of complete, the recruits are on probation for a year before becoming full-fledged VSAR members.

There are also opportunities to take a variety of training courses such as swift water rescues, rope rescues, high-angle rescues, first aid courses, tracking and other aspects of being a search and rescue volunteer.

Applications are being accepted from March 1-30 with interviews in April. Candidate selection will be done in May wth training starting in June.

To contact VSAR, click here.