Volunteers to use e-bikes for Central Okanagan search and rescues
KELOWNA – People in need of aid by Central Okanagan Search and Rescue could soon find their assistance coming to them on an e-bike.
The volunteer search and rescue team will begin using seven Giant e-mountain bikes for urban searches and backcountry initial response calls, e-bike team coordinator Brian Stainsby said in a press release.
E-bikes owned by team members have already been used in four search and rescue operations, letting the team cover a lot more ground, the release said, in some cases more effectively than an ATV.
They were used earlier this spring during the five-day search for a missing senior in West Kelowna.
The $5,500 bikes have full suspension and a 500-watt pedal assist motor and were paid for in part by the B.C. Search and Rescue Association as well as local fundraising events.
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