It was the ultimate form of paying it forward.
On August 10, 2022, Paula Dutour and her husband were walking their dogs on Phil’s Deli Trail on the Westsyde in Williams Lake when she slipped and shattered her tibia above the ankle.
A call was made to 9-1-1 and Central Cariboo Search and Rescue dispatched 7 volunteers that did whatever was necessary to get them.
“It did take them quite a while to get up there because it’s a little tiny bike trail and there are lots of trees and debris that they had to try and to get out of the way to get the quads up there.” Dutour said, “Once they came to us I was triaged, an air cast was put on, and then they carried me up to a level location because I was on a bit of an incline. To get me up on top of the back of the quad securely was quite the feat and then off we went down the hill.”
Dutour said she is definitely a firm believer that things happen for a reason and something good will always come of it and for her it was meeting these guys.
“They’re so compassionate, and brave, I feel, for the things that they do to help other people. And I actually decided, kind of at that point, that I might look into going into the Search and Rescue for volunteering. Once my leg healed well enough I actually went in, I took them some baking, chatted with them, and they showed me around and they said yeah, it doesn’t matter what kind of injury you have, we welcome everybody.”
Fast forward to August 10, 2023.
“I had a full circle moment.” Dutour said, “That day our Land Search and Rescue Team, which I am now a member of, was tasked out to search for a missing person East of Williams Lake. It was the 1 year anniversary of my very own rescue so I was happy to say that the individual was safely found and it was a really, really special moment for me being on the flip side of a successful Search and Rescue call.”
Dutour added that she would have never, ever, thought a year ago that she’d be joining Search and Rescue.
“You feel like you have a second family, they’re very close knit, we do so much together, they’re just a great group of people.”
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
