Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais - Ottawa Volunteer SAR

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Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais - Ottawa Volunteer SAR

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Volunteer SAR team for Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Account not monitored 24/7

From a team of over 250 members, SBO-OVSAR can rapidly deploy highly trained search and rescue personnel at the request of any police authority. Our members donate their expertise, time and equipment to respond to missing or lost persons emergencies in the National Capital Region and western Quebec. The team is available at any time to respond to calls in both urban and wilderness environments. SBO-OVSAR members are trained in ground search and rescue techniques as well as first aid, tracking, moving water safety and various other topics. Operational funding is provided by donations of money and equipment from individuals and businesses and through revenue from our public training programs. SBO-OVSAR also offers the Hug a Tree and Survive awareness and survival education presentations to children and groups including Scouts Canada, Girl Guides of Canada, Ottawa Canoe Club, school groups, and private requests. SBO-OVSAR is a registered charity and can provide income tax receipts for any charitable donations over $10.
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Everyone who is interested in joining must attend our information session to get all the details of the expected commitments for joining the SBO-OVSAR team, in terms of time, training, and out of pocket expenses. The next information session will be held in the Spring (March) 2023, exact dates will be posted on the sbo-ovsar.ca webpage and here our page in January or February. If you have questions about joining that just can’t wait, please contact our Membership Team at: [email protected]

10/12/2026

SBO-OVSAR has been activated

09/10/2026

Thank you so much Run Ottawa and all participants who donated to our team! Your money will help the community stay safe in the outdoors and we are grateful for your support 🙏

Great news to share!

Thanks to the generosity of our participants, more than $1,400 was contributed to Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais - Ottawa Volunteer SAR through Green Bib entries and donations at this year’s Grit & Grind Trail Race: Camp Fortune Edition.

Your support helps ensure this incredible organization can continue the vital work they do in our community.

08/30/2026

Looking to join our Search and Rescue team?
Our fall recruiting begins with an information session that is being held on Sept. 14 from 7pm to 9pm in Nepean. If you would like to find out what it takes to volunteer with us, please register to attend. No commitment necessary. If you can't join us this time, we have another recruiting session in the spring. Limited spots remain, hope to see you there!

Click the link to register:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sbo-ovsar-new-member-information-session-fall-2026-intake-tickets-1990342952349?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/20/2026

Another shoutout for Melissa! Exceptional work, SBO is very proud of you 🎉👏

Last week, Communications Officer Melissa demonstrated exceptional professionalism and skill in supporting the successful delivery of a healthy baby boy through telephone-assisted guidance.

If Melissa looks familiar, it may be because, during the same week, she also played a key role in the resuscitation of a badminton player on Fisher Avenue, an incident that was previously recognized.

These two remarkable events highlight the critical role Communications Officers play in our emergency response system and the significant impact they have on the health and well-being of our community every day.

Congratulations, Melissa, and thank you for your outstanding service and dedication.
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La semaine dernière, l’agente aux communications Melissa a fait preuve d’un professionnalisme et d'une efficacité exceptionnels en guidant par téléphone l’accouchement d’un petit garçon en bonne santé.

Son visage vous semble familier? C’est probablement parce qu’au cours de cette même semaine, elle a également joué un rôle déterminant dans la réanimation d’un joueur de badminton sur l’avenue Fisher, un événement qui a déjà fait l’objet d’une reconnaissance.

Ces deux interventions remarquables illustrent l’importance du rôle des agents des communications au sein du système de réponse aux urgences ainsi que l’impact significatif qu’ils ont chaque jour sur la santé, la sécurité et le bien-être de notre communauté.

Félicitations, Melissa, et merci pour ton dévouement et ton service exceptionnels.

08/16/2026

While SBO is a ground search and rescue team that doesn’t mean we keep members out of the water! Swift water rescue is an important part of our training. Our own whitewater experts, with the generous support from Boreal River Expeditions | Expéditions Rivière Boréal conduct regular training sessions on local rivers and streams. Many of our searches occur along swift flowing water and knowing how to do that safely is an essential skill.

Thanks to all of those who joined our annual river rescue session, until next year!

Photo credits: Blair Crawford

08/13/2026

We are proud to have Melissa on the team! 👏 Great job to the whole crew involved.

07/28/2026

Many households affected by the July 1 extreme weather event are still facing a long road to recovery and volunteer support continues to be needed.

Volunteer opportunities remain available through community organizations supporting cleanup efforts, including the removal of damaged materials from homes.

Those wishing to provide financial support can also donate through the Canadian Red Cross.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4vXbIgW

07/19/2026

In early June members got together to celebrate 30 years of SBO-OVSAR at the Wakefield Community Centre. A day of food, laughter, awards and recognition, and celebration.

A big thank you goes out to Perry Zavitz Photography for capturing this event and to member Annick Cole for making the delicious custom SBO cake and cupcakes.

Here's to 30 years of providing volunteer search and rescue to the Ottawa and Outaouais regions (and beyond)!

07/02/2026

And that's a wrap on Canada Day at Canada Aviation & Space Museum

Members (and Oscar the bear) volunteered their time this Canada Day to share prevention education and first aid services at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum! As always it is a pleasure to be here and to meet all of the lovely people who stop by to chat. The afternoon brought a fantastic display from the SkyHawks Canada and we were pretty happy to be stationed in front of the Labrador!

Until next time 🇨🇦

06/27/2026

A big thank you to our silent auction and door prize sponsors for all of the wonderful donations for our 30th anniversary event! The team enjoyed the competitive fundraising spirit and many went home with a little goodie or more gear to add to their pack.

A special thank you to Garmin Canada Petzl Arc'teryx for your generosity. We are eternally grateful for your support.

We highly recommend checking out our sponsors when making purchases for your next outdoor adventure!

Address

P. O. Box 76 Stn. "A"
Ottawa, ON

Website

http://www.sbo-ovsar.ca/, https://tvagatineau.ca/le-monde-des-services-durgence-2-5-la-mission-de-sauvetage-benevole-out

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