Coming to the end of 2021, Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue (KHSAR) faced back-to-back record-breaking years.
In 2021, as of Dec. 29, KHSAR said they received 79 calls for service, logging 6,000 hours of volunteer engagement. This handily tops 2020’s end-of-year total of 68 calls for service.
In a recent social media post, KHSAR said a bulk of the year’s calls revolved around the November floods, playing a particularly important role in evacuating residents from the Rockwell Drive area near Harrison Lake.
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KHSAR’s new boat, Spirit of Harrison, transported residents and travellers away from the Rockwell area. However, in the rescue operation, 12 KHSAR volunteers and their vehicles and rafts were stranded behind a landslide and had to be evacuated themselves.
KHSAR thanked the partner agencies and other local Search and Rescue groups for their help during the floods.
“We have very supportive local governments and the level of planning and inclusion was evident during these exceptional incidents,” they said.
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KHSAR expects the currently-closed forest service roads in the Chilliwack Forest District to impact next year’s calls due as “off-roaders will be looking for new challenges.”
KHSAR welcomed five new members in 2021, bringing total membership up to 32. The Search and Rescue organization said a special goodbye to Roy Williamson, who is relocating to northern B.C. after 16 years of service with KHSAR.
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