Penticton Search and Rescue members ready to train public in preventing outdoor emergencies

PENTICTON – Penticton Search and Rescue members put an emphasis on being prepared during last weekend’s training sessions.

Instead of a traditional weekend practice session of search and rescue training on ropes, mapping, survival and first aid, 14 search and rescue members successfully completed Adventure Smart facilitator training.

Search and rescue manager Kelvin Hall says the group now has 14 search and rescue facilitators who can deliver on these subjects:

– Hug-A-Tree and Survive
– SNOW Safety Education
– Survive Outside
– Paddlesmart Programs

Hall says preventing outdoor mishaps before they happen is an important part of what search and rescue groups do and notes the Penticton team is now capable of teaching these programs to community groups, scouts, guides, cadets and schools as part of an outdoor safety program.

“Adventure Smart has an excellent website and tools for the outdoor enthusiast with a trip planning tool that can easily be filled out and mailed to friends and family. If search teams can have access to the trip plan it speeds up our response time,” Hall says.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.