If you have an interest in helping protect your community, the South Cariboo Search and Rescue Society (SCSR) wants you to join them.
SCSR is hosting two open houses this week: one on Wednesday, Sept. 6 and one on Friday, Sept. 8, both from 6 to 8 p.m. Training director Daniela Wettstein says it’s the perfect chance to get a taste of what search and rescue does every week, ahead of a new training course in October.
“Everyone is welcome who just wants to check us out and see what we do. If someone is interested in joining they can ask us any questions they might have and meet the team,” Wettstein says. “We’ll have some demo stuff on ropes, first aid and outdoorsy skill stuff so people can get an idea.”
The open houses are being hosted at the SCSR Hall located at 5830 Horse Lake Road.
Wettstein first joined SCSR five years ago, partly as a way to meet new people and partly to help them. So far 2023 has been a pretty busy year, especially in August, and she’s looking to grow their membership accordingly.
Currently, SCSR has around 50 members, although Wettstein says only around 20 are regularly active. She is hoping the open house and word of mouth will bring in from four to eight new recruits. While the new training starts in October, Wettstein notes that people can join SCSR anytime throughout the year.
“If you’re outdoorsy and you like teamwork, come and check us out. We provide lots of training which can be beneficial to your private and your work life, depending on what you do,” Wettstein says. “All the training is free and the team (you’ll be joining) is really great.”
Wettstein adds that SCSR meets once a week for training from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, so new recruits would need to be available for that. Once they’ve completed the necessary training they’ll start coming out on calls when search and rescue is needed.
“You don’t have to be someone who is hanging off ropes,” she says. “There are lots of other things you can do, so don’t be hesitant.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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