Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue says while calls are down, the demographic of people getting rescued has changed post-pandemic and poses new challenges.
That’s from 30-year member and SAR manager Sue Duxbury. She says so far this year, they have received around 37 calls and while that sounds like a lot, many of them have turned out to be false alarms or calls for mutual aid for other teams.
However, despite the lower call volume they are seeing more changes in who is needing to be rescued and for different reasons post-pandemic.
“We did see a lot of people going out and skiing, hiking, and kayaking with very little training and very little gear and experience. That has levelled off a little bit,” said Duxbury.
“Repercussions from COVID that we are seeing is that people moved out of the city permanently, they moved to a smaller city where all they could do was recreate and if they had internet, they were happy.”
Duxbury says that this means there has been an increase in people heading out and considering having a cell phone as being prepared. The other change includes more calls with people who have pre-diagnosed conditions.
Duxbury says they often get calls from people with heart conditions or diabetes for example. Duxbury adds they are also seeing more callouts for people who have mental health issues who leave a note saying where they are going, and SAR will go out and find them.
With winter coming into full swing, Duxbury says their many activities like cross-country skiing, hiking, and backcountry skiing bring a lot of inherent hazards, hypothermia being the biggest concern.
This time of year, in particular, Duxbury says they are advocating you dress in layers when going into the backcountry and ensure you are following the Three Ts: Trip plan, take the essentials and train for what you are doing.
“Tell somebody where you are going and when you expect to get back. Leave a trip plan, if you’ve got a trip plan you’ve left with a responsible adult, it sure helps people find you,” said Duxbury.
She adds the 10 essentials are also needed including food, water, clothing, first aid, firestarter and communications like a whistle, a knife and an emergency shelter.
They also recommend getting together with like-minded groups to help you and others be fully prepared.
