A $1,100 donation from the Williams Lake Lions Club will allow the Central Cariboo Search and Rescue to purchase two new iPads.
“They called us a few weeks ago and asked what we were needing in ways of equipment,” said chief Rick White.
“We have boughten and used some iPads lately when we’re looking for lost people and doing evacuations.”
The iPads White adds can pre-plot where they want to go and track members showing a complete synopsis and everything on a VTL map.
“Every two or three members will take one iPad and go about their assignment and then bring it back. We can download it on the main computer and make sure that they’ve done the area that we requested and give them a new assignment and off they go again.”
The new iPads will bring Central Cariboo Search and Rescue’s number up to 9.
“It’s relatively new,” White said of the utilization of iPads.
“The idea came when the fires of 2017. Prince George SAR had acquired them and had been using them for about 6 months, but they taught us how to them. We passed the technology on to the RCMP who were in the old Lake City Ford building in 2017, and they were really impressed it. The Inspector at the time ordered his team to purchase 10 of them for them to use.”
CCSAR reminds anyone going out in the backcountry to let someone know about their plans and when they will return and to carry a device they can activate in case they are in trouble.