With the winter months upon us, the Cochrane Search and Rescue is reminding residents of the importance of preparation before heading out into the wilderness.
“It's really important to plan ahead and prepare,” said Training Director and ground search and rescue member Marika Pelham.
As 2023 comes to an end, Cochrane Search and Rescue reflects on their major operations that took place throughout the year. Moving into the new year, they hope to provide residents with the proper information before going out to explore.
With a diverse team made up of 65 operational members, each operation is handled according to the needs of an emergency.
“We really look at the situation at hand, who the tasking agencies we’re working with, and really looking at what is required,” Pelham said. “If we're looking for a missing person for example, our search theory behind that is based in lost person behavior and differs quite a bit from let's say a wildfire response.”
Reflecting on the year, Cochrane Search and Rescue participated in several operations. Two major operations highlighted by Pelham include the northern Alberta wildfires and the Amy Fahlman search that happened in October.
Additionally, they helped in multiple searches for missing persons within the Cochrane area that included children and the elderly.
“We had a lot of operational periods, as well as standby requests from northern Alberta and search rescue there,” Pelham said. “We also had significant involvement with the Amy Fahlman search. We were deployed for over five days on that search.”
Pelham said it is important to let people know where you’re going and what time you plan on being back before you head out on adventures.
Preparing for the cold, Pelham emphasized the importance of bringing extra layers, food, warm beverages, and a first aid kit. She added it is important to check the weather forecast as well.
“This time of year, the days are short, and it gets dark out really quick, and the weather can change quite suddenly, turning a casual day out into a much longer day or even multiple days,” Pelham said. “Being prepared and planning ahead for those situations can help you or someone else out.”
Pelham said an important way for community members to help is by following the Cochrane Search and Rescue social media accounts and sharing information posted.
It's important to have only trained members to go out on searches, but residents are encouraged to keep an eye out from their homes.
“Sharing posts where applicable can help get the word far and wide when we are responding to incidents,” Pelham said.
Members of Cochrane Search and Rescue are given essential training and are offered a minimum of one training per month, per year. Pelham said they offer many more trainings throughout the year, some of which are specifically for the winter months.
“We've just completed our winter first aid training, focusing on winter specific and cold weather specific scenarios; as well as night navigation,” she said. “Again, with the shorter days and daylight fading early, it is really important to hone those in quickly.”
