Future Search & Rescue Members Get A Taste Of What It Takes To Serve

11 grade ten to twelve students from Williams Lake learned some unique life saving lessons.

On Thursday, January 16^th, they participated in a full day field trip to Bull Mountain where they took part in hands-on scenario rescues with the minimal aid of the Central Cariboo Search and Rescue team. 

Team Member and Public Relations Deborah Bortolussi said the students were first familiarized with the gear they had access to, then they were sent out on their first “task” to find a lost wildlife photographer who had been snowshoeing in the area.  

Bortolussi said although it took awhile for the students to find their missing person it provided them the opportunity to reflect on what they did well and what they could improve on.

“When that task was finished we then came back and we had them learn about Search and Rescue. We got to teach them and we conduct a search, the items and many things we think about and how we go about doing a search. We also got to teach them some first aid and how to do hypothermic packaging and manage hypothermic patients.”

Students were then sent out to locate a skier who had been missing overnight.

Borotlussi said from their learning, they organized a much better search, a coordinated search plan, better communication between search groups and found the skier faster than in their first scenario.

“It was wonderful to see them do the first scenario and how they managed it not knowing much about search types. We taught them how we conduct a search to then getting to learn how we conduct a search, how we do that and lay it out, and seeing that improvement in the kids themselves how much they saw their own skills improve and how they had a better outcome the second time around.”

Bortolussi noted this is the first time Central Cariboo Search and Rescue took part in this kind of field experience to students and would love to continue doing it.