Metchosin Search and Rescue is recruiting! We will be holding an orientation session for prospective members on September 19th. If you are interested in learning more about our group and registering for our next orientation session, we encourage you to contact us at metchosin.sar@gmail.com by September 14th.
Our team receives between 20 and 30 calls for service per year, of which about half result in members deploying into the field. These can include everything from lost or injured hikers calling for help in rugged and remote terrain to urban searches for individuals with dementia.
We train on the first Tuesday evening of every month from 7pm to 9pm and the fourth Saturday from 8:30 until the early afternoon. Typically, the Tuesday training is classroom-based while the Saturday training is field-oriented. Additional training days may be added with advance notice for courses. Anyone who is interested in participating in searches would need to be able to commit to this first Tuesday/fourth Saturday training schedule. We expect members to attend at least fifty hours of training per year with our team, so that they are experienced working with our group and are current on their training. They would also be expected to assemble, over their first year, a ready pack with enough gear to survive 24 hours in the field and to be physically fit enough to hike through difficult terrain with their pack.
In addition to our regular training, new members will be required to complete the approximately 100 hour Ground Search and Rescue course over the first year. This would involve additional Tuesday nights and Saturdays in 2027. Applicants are also expected to take the Justice Institute of BC’s online Introduction to Search and Rescue in British Columbia course by the end of October 2026 to ensure that they are prepared for this course.
We do not require any initial commitment from members of the public who would like to see if they are a fit for the team, but do expect people to decide whether to continue by the end of January 2027.
If you are interested in supporting our group but either do not wish to participate in searches or cannot manage our training schedule, there may be other ways to be involved as an associate member. Please email metchosin.sar@gmail.com