Quesnel Search & Rescue will get roughly 50 thousand dollars of the almost 5 million that the provincial government has earmarked for BC.
President Bob Zimmerman says the money goes to the BC Search and Rescue Association and is then dispersed to groups like theirs.
“And it depends what a group has to offer for the public or rescue services etc, as to how much of the money they receive. Quesnel, because we basically cover every task that is required, we get our certain amount of money. A smaller group with maybe not as much to offer doesn’t get as much money.”
Zimmerman says they offer services like tracking, slope rescue, swift water rescue, snow mobile rescue and normal extraction of injured people.
He says the funding helps them to deliver those services.
“This funding helps with the cost with training. Because as you know when a person gets injured or lost and search and rescue gets called in, the public is not charged for that service. It’s is something the government offers as coverage, so the government has to make sure we’re properly trained in what we need to respond to.”
In addition to provincial funding, Zimmerman says they also get funding from both the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District.
He says they also have the option of applying for gaming grants for special projects that they decide to do.
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