Coquitlam Search and Rescue calls on community for help storing its new rescue boat
The Coquitlam Search and Rescue team is calling on its community for help finding a spot to store its new rescue boat.
Robert Sell, a team leader who’s volunteered with the organization for more than a decade, says that finding a spot in the Tri-Cities to store the boat will improve the speed at which they can respond to calls.
“We have this wonderful new boat which can rescue people so much faster, but we really can't leave it outside,” he said.
The boats are an essential tool that help the team respond to an increasing number of rescue calls.
“So far this year, we've seen as many marine type rescues as we saw in the entire year last year, so it’s dramatically going up,” he said.
Sell said that a warehouse or garage with a lock, away from wildlife and inclement weather, would be an ideal storage spot.
“One of our primary factors for rescuing people is speed,” he said. “If we have to stop to kick a family of raccoons out of the back of the boat before we launch, that's not going to be good.”
The organization responds to calls on the Pitt River, Indian Arm, Buntzen Lake, Sasamat Lake, and the Fraser River – areas that people are increasingly attracted to for outdoor recreation, Sell said.
“We really need to be able to get in there and … be that safety net for them.”
The boats are used either to retrieve stranded boaters or swimmers, or as a base from which to transmit radio communications further afield.
“We go wherever we need to go, and that doesn't necessarily have cell phone coverage. So it's really important for us to be able to transmit communications and this does that very well,” Sell said.
Anyone who thinks they might have enough room to store the boat and its towing vehicle can visit Coquitlam Search and Rescue’s website and fill out their application form.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
RCMP officers had no legal authority to enter man's home, make arrest: B.C. court
A B.C. man has been found not guilty of assaulting two RCMP officers – with the court finding he was resisting an "unlawful entry and arrest" in his home before he was tasered, taken down and hauled away in handcuffs.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.