About
Prioritizing expertise, safety and professionalism in every rescue.
— Mission Search & Rescue —
Mission Search & Rescue (MSAR) is a registered non-profit organization in the province of British Columbia.
Its primary commitment is to aid in community safety as a resource for the RCMP, the BC Ambulance Service, and the BC Coroners Service, in a variety of search and rescue functions. All members provide service on a completely volunteer basis and are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
We currently have over twenty members and our team grows larger every year. We are a strong network of volunteering professionals. All funds for new equipment and training is acquired by fundraising projects and the support of local service groups, government funding programs, and the generous support of our community.
With more people venturing out to enjoy the outdoors around Mission, the number of calls managed by MSAR has increased. We practice four times per month, year round through both the Justice Institute of B.C. and in-house training, to keep our skills sharp in rope rescue, swiftwater rescue, first aid, search techniques, and much more, to ensure we are prepared for anything, employing our motto of being Dedicated and Ready!
80 Ground SAR Groups in BC represent approximately 2500 unpaid volunteering professionals who are on call across BC, at all times. Each individual group is responsible for one region of the province; they assess the kind of terrain they need to respond to, and the weather and mountain conditions they generally operate in. Over time, groups develop location specific needs assessments based on the types of searches or rescues they are asked to perform. This information is used to decide on the training, equipment and rescue skills that need to be developed. As technologies and location profiles change, groups reassess their needs and alter accordingly.
All SAR teams in BC operate under the policies, procedures, and guidelines set out by Emergency Management B.C. These include safety plans, training standards, rescue equipment and rules under which any SAR group can be activated or “stood down”.
Our History
Mission Search & Rescue (MSAR) was formed in February 1981. Ken McDonald and Fraser Field were both employed by the BC Ambulance Service where they recognized a need for a team of individuals who could go off the beaten path in search and rescue of those in trouble in the bush.
The team initially operated out of a basement, before moving into a garage. In the beginning, there was no paging system available so the team relied only on the telephone to connect with each other when they were tasked out.
In the mid-1980s, when the Police Station was built, MSAR was given a bay in the back to store a vehicle. Through fundraising and tireless dedication to the organization, another vehicle was acquired along with the slow collection of necessary equipment to ‘do the job’, which included ropes, stretchers, first-aid equipment, a small aluminum boat, generators, and more.
Ken McDonald recognized the need for a larger boat and appealed to BC Hydro for funding, who put up a portion of the cost and the team scraped together the remaining balance. The result was a new jet boat. The team was quickly outgrowing its space, and are now based out of the old public works building by the West Coast Express parking lot.
In January 2002, Ken McDonald retired. As the duty officer (the SAR member who is contacted by the RCMP at any time, any day, all year) Ken was extremely dedicated to the tasks at hand, personally funding the MSAR for many years, and helping to create a legacy of SAR service in Mission BC.
Our Services
Mission SAR offers a variety of services in accordance with what the tasking agency requires. We are equipped to fulfill and aid in search and rescue missions ranging from Swift Water Rescue to High Angle Rope Rescue.
Ground Search & Rescue (GSAR)
All members learn the fundamentals of Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR); the most crucial and versatile set of skills, linked to the majority of calls. GSAR is the basis from from all other training stems from, covering everything from a grid search to first aid.
Swift Water Rescue Technician
Some members specialize in Swift Water Rescue, learning the skill-sets required in planning and executing missions on inland lake and river scenarios. We are trained to negotiate the most impossible of situations while using ropes and mechanical advantages to help bring the subject to safety.
High Angle Rope Rescue
In the surrounding Mission area, a lot of terrain consists of areas requiring sophisticated rope systems to help safely extract a subject in danger. Hours of training is essential for members to learn how to navigate the varying geography and extremely sloped terrain in our area to expeditiously bring subjects to safety.
Avalanche Response
Our members are equipped to respond to avalanche scenarios, often aiding in neighbouring jurisdictions. We undergo annual training sessions in order to remain current in the ever-changing dynamics of avalanche rescue.