A big donation this week is giving Quesnel Search and Rescue (QSAR) a step forward in its equipment.
The Quesnel Elks Lodge #298 donated $5,000 to QSAR on July 9. Bob Holowenko, the Director of QSAR says the donation will be going towards modernizing QSAR’s rope rescue kits.
“This donation is transformative for our technical rope rescue team,” says Holowenko. “The new kit is a system called ‘The Clutch’, and it gives us the ability to transition when ascending and descending quickly.”
The new system is more user-friendly for Search and Rescue members to use. Meaning that it will make for faster descents and quicker ascents when rescuing someone.
According to Holowenko, many rescue and emergency teams across the Province and the country use the Clutch system. Holowenko says the Canadian Armed Forces use this system “almost exclusively”, and getting this newer and more modern equipment will open doors for QSAR members to train with more organizations.
Even with the “more advanced technical” system coming, Holowenko says there will be minimal retraining for QSAR’s members on the Clutch.
“The majority of the team has trained with this apparatus with other organizations. Our team has been exposed to it, has learned on it, and has been certified on it. Now, this is a big chance for Quesnel to have that in our kit.”
Holowenko says if and when the QSAR team is deployed, they will be ready to use the Clutch for the first time effectively.
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