Record-setting month for COSAR with 18 call-outs

It was a hectic July for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue.

How busy? Record-setting.

Last month, COSAR was called out 18 times to help the public, eclipsing the old mark of 12 set in July 2021 and May 2022.

1:48 Crowsnest Pass RCMP locate bodies of 2 missing hikers

“The tasks do not include the 1,000-plus hours of training and administration the team performed in July,” the search and rescue agency said.

According to COSAR, the call-outs included:

• Five wilderness searches.
• Three urban searches for people with dementia.
• Three mutual-aid calls to assist other search and rescue groups.
• Six medical rescues.
• Helping authorities issue evacuation orders during the Knox Mountain fire.

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The search and rescue agency says most requests took place in the Central Okanagan, though it also assisted with searches in Vernon and Rock Creek.

2:01 B.C. search and rescue teams to get training to handle missing people with dementia

With the record-setting month in the rearview mirror, COSAR manager Duane Tresnich issued a public reminder to outdoor enthusiasts: Be prepared.

“A few minutes on (the website) AdventureSmart.ca can mean the difference between life and death,” said Tresnich.

COSAR was established 69 years ago, in 1954, and provides backcountry emergency services from Oyama to Rock Creek and from Merritt to Big White.

5:07 Search and rescue team warns about dangers of cliff jumping