With the help of several community partners, one of Saskatoon’s most vital volunteer groups has assembled two additional response teams.

Saskatoon Search and Rescue, a group comprised of nearly 50 Saskatoon citizens, has received grant money from multiple partners, allowing them to create a Wilderness First Responder Team and a Rapid Response Team.
Vance Lester, Search Manager and Team Lead with SSAR, says the Wilderness First Responder Team will focus on providing search and rescue services in more remote and dangerous locations. Training for this program requires an 80 hour course, and it’s the highest level of first aid training available through the Red Cross. The Rapid Response Team is geared towards operating quickly at the search stages of a search in an effort to save precious time. Lester estimates that the work of this team could shorten a search and rescue mission by 45 minutes to an hour, which could be a matter of life and death in some circumstances. The volunteer organization also was able to purchase 11 new radios, improving communication between team members.
The initiatives were made possible by partners such as Dakota Dunes community Development Corporation, the Saskatoon Police Service, SaskTel TelCare, and Back40 Wilderness First Aid.