When trouble calls, North Shore Rescue answers

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      When John Blown got called to an emergency one January afternoon three years ago, the North Shore Rescue member didn’t get home for another two-and-a-half days. Blown was part of a massive rescue mission near Mount Seymour’s Theta Lake, where two snowshoers found themselves in big trouble: one had lost his footing on some ice and fallen hundreds of metres down a gully. The other had tried to make his way down a steep slope to find his severely injured friend, only to have to stop partway down. The weather had taken a terrible turn, and the avalanche risk was extreme.

      Blown, along with other rescuers and the shaken men, spent two nights battling hypothermia under tarps and in snow caves.

      “We all started cheering when the helicopter came,” Blown says of the chopper piloted by Peter Murray, who recently won Canada’s National Search and Rescue Secretariat’s award of excellence for exemplary service for his ongoing contribution to rescue efforts on the North Shore. “Everyone was very happy. Then we packed up our gear and climbed up 1,000 feet that was now ice because of all the avalanches. The conditions were extremely dangerous.”

      Blown, who started his own Internet marketing company about eight years ago, around the same time he joined NSR, doesn’t make any money for lending a hand on such risky but life-saving missions. Like the other 40 or so members, he volunteers about 500 hours a year. And as that 2007 rescue proved, it’s not just the number of hours that’s remarkable, but also the fact that Blown knows he could get a call at any time of the day or night, regardless of the season.

      “I missed Christmas one year,” the 34-year-old North Vancouver native says on the line from his office. “I’ve been paged at 3 a.m. and spent 12 hours bushwhacking around in the rain.

      “But having a flexible schedule—being my own boss—makes it easier,” he adds. “Other members have to get a letter from their employer saying it’s all right for them to leave in the middle of the day if they get paged.”

      The benefits of being part of the team far outweigh the risks.

      “There’s the satisfaction of being able to help people,” Blown says. “It’s intrinsically rewarding.

      “What’s really motivating is trying to find those people for their families. If you have someone’s mom or sister waiting in a parking lot worried for the life of their loved one, it really hits home.

      “And it can be exciting. One minute you’re in Vancouver, the next you’re in a helicopter flying behind the mountains.”

      Not only that, volunteers go through continuous, rigorous training—a bonus for avid outdoors people like Blown, who started hiking and skiing while still in elementary school and went on to take up rock climbing and mountaineering.

      Like Blown, some NSR members have extensive outdoors and backcountry experience, while others are paramedics or have in-depth first-aid knowledge. Still others act as spotters from the air or coordinators of complex operations. Then there’s the administrative work involved in running the organization, which is a registered charity.

      Besides conducting rescues in wilderness environments, NSR helps with urban searches too, assisting police in cases of lost or missing children, with team members often on mountain bikes to cover all types of terrain quickly. Volunteers are also prepared to provide disaster relief during floods or earthquakes. NSR members also talk to school, community, church, hiking, and outdoors groups as part of their commitment to education—which is a key part of preventing emergency situations in the first place.

      At this time of year, Blown says NSR has several reminders for people keen on exploring the great outdoors despite the worsening weather.

      “Inevitably people forget how early it gets dark, especially with Daylight Savings just kicking in,” he says. “People get caught out in the darkness—on the Grouse Grind or other local hikes—and they don’t bring flashlights. It’s also cold. There’s already snow on the North Shore mountains. It is a winter environment on the mountains already. People need to prepare to stay out later than they expected.”

      NSR’s website has detailed information on what people should take with them when they hit the trails. A cellphone is high on the list of 10 essential items. One reason that severely injured Theta Lake snowshoer is alive today is because his friend was able to call 911.

      A flashlight is also crucial.

      “The lack of light is the single most common cause of overdue hiker calls for NSR,” the site states. “It is so easy to underestimate the amount of daylight left, especially if you are deep in the forest. That is why carrying a good quality flashlight or headlamp with extra bulb and batteries per person is number one on our list of the ten essential items.”

      Blown acknowledges that some rescues happen in response to skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, or hikers intentionally going out of bounds. But he says that even those who flout the rules generally don’t need a lecture upon being found.

      “Most people, when you find them, are afraid for their life,” he says. “They’re very humble after going through that kind of experience. I’m talking big, tough guys sitting there crying. They were thinking that they were going to die. They’re so happy. They realize that they screwed up.

      “Occasionally, we do see exceptionally stupid things, but those are rare,” he adds. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

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