Saskatoon Search and Rescue

10/09/2026

Thank you SO much to everyone who helped make the demonstration day such a success! From all the agencies involved, to the conference delegates, the public and the school students who all showed such interest and got involved in the interactive aspects of the day. We are so grateful!

Special thanks to our own 28 Saskatoon SAR members who helped make the day come together. 🧡

SAR


Saskatchewan RCMP
Saskatoon Fire Department
The Salvation Army Saskatoon
SARSAV

10/06/2026

While we’re busy getting ready for SARscene Demo Day, regular training doesn’t stop!

On Saturday, our scenario involved a missing Project Lifesaver client who likes to ride the bus. That added an extra layer of complexity to the search.

Teams had to look up bus routes and follow signals that were located (and then lost again!) as the subject travelled in one direction while searchers were moving another, or as routes branched off of parallel roads.

Our scenario didn’t include input from police or transit, which in a real search would be a huge advantage when trying to piece together a moving subject’s location and travel patterns.

With teamwork, problem-solving and persistence, we eventually located our subject safe and sound!

It’s a good reminder that every search can present something different, and training for those unexpected complications matters.

10/04/2026

Getting ready for SARscene Demonstration Day!

There’s a lot that goes into putting on a day like this. Our team has been working through the final details. What equipment is needed for each of our displays? Where is it located? How will it get to the park? And walking the site to make sure everyone knows where their display or demonstration will be set up.

On October 8, you’ll see many search and rescue-related agencies showcasing technology, vehicles and equipment, AdventureSmart, Project Lifesaver, K9, Disaster Assistance Response Training, tracking, drones, and more!

Kiwanis Memorial Park
Thursday, October 8
10 am - 3 pm

Free and open to the public. Come see search and rescue in action!

SARSAV Saskatoon Fire Department Saskatoon Police Service Saskatchewan RCMP casara.yxe The Salvation Army Saskatoon Sundre Search and Rescue

09/30/2026

Today, we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

We remember the children who never returned home, honour survivors of residential schools, and recognize the lasting impacts on Indigenous families, communities and generations.

For SSAR, reconciliation is also about learning and putting that learning into action.

Our members take part in cultural training to better understand Indigenous history, experiences and perspectives. When we gather for meetings and public events, we begin with land acknowledgements that recognize the Indigenous peoples who have cared for these lands for generations.

Through our AdventureSmart program, we share Indigenous-language resources as part of our commitment to making outdoor safety resources more accessible and inclusive. We also consider the needs of those who have a higher risk of going missing when investing in our equipment and search capabilities, helping us respond more effectively when someone needs to be found.

These are practical steps, but we know reconciliation is an ongoing process. There is still much to learn. Today is an opportunity to listen, reflect and continue that work.

09/29/2026

There’s more to operating our SAR truck, and hauling the logistics trailer or command post, than simply getting behind the wheel and heading out.

During a recent training day, members worked on the skills needed to safely and efficiently manoeuvre the vehicles, from navigating turns and tight spaces to backing the trailer into position.

Checklists matter too! Truck and trailer responsibilities include pre- and post-deployment checklists to ensure everything is ready to go, accounted for, restocked and prepared for the next activation or training day.

It’s not the most glamorous part of SAR training, but getting our team and equipment to a search activation quickly and safely is one of the most important!

A big thank you to Emmanuel Baptist Church for the use of their parking lot and to Saskatoon Police Service for loaning us pylons for the training day!

09/20/2026

What would you do if someone went missing in the wilderness?

Last week, Saskatoon SAR Search Managers tackled that question during a quarterly tabletop training exercise.

The scenario: a berry picker goes missing in northern Saskatchewan. They’re travelling alone. The weather is getting worse. Night is approaching. Cell coverage is limited.

While there’s no missing person to search for and no emergency unfolding, our Search Managers have to think through the situation from the start: What do we know? What should we find out? Where might the person be? What resources will we need? What could change as the search continues?

That’s the value of tabletop exercises. They give our Search Managers an opportunity to work through realistic scenarios, practise decision-making and anticipate challenges before they encounter them during an actual search.

Working through these scenarios helps build experience in making decisions, adapting plans and anticipating what might come next.

It may be a tabletop exercise, but the questions and decisions are very real.

09/14/2026

Saskatoon SAR members put their skills to work over two days of training this past week.

Thursday evening, members requiring re-certification completed their Project Lifesaver Electronic Search Specialist testing, while the rest of the team reviewed trailer setup and prepared for Saturday’s full search scenario.

On Saturday, members received an activation alert for a simulated missing-person call. A 42-year-old man had gone for a walk and failed to return home. Recovering from surgery and walking with a noticeable limp, he was considered a priority for a quick response. The team later learned that he had pushed his rehabilitation too hard, causing his knee to give out and leaving him unable to walk without assistance.

The goal was to get teams to the scene quickly and begin with a hasty search of the area. Members covered a lot of ground, as the CalTopo map shows, before eventually locating the subject. He was provided first aid and assisted out of the area.

Scenarios like this are about more than practicing search techniques. They build the speed, communication, decision-making and teamwork needed when responding to a real call. Having a live subject adds another level of realism and urgency. Members know there is a real person waiting to be found, and that their decisions and actions matter. The more we train together in realistic scenarios, with real people as subjects, the better prepared we are to turn an activation alert into an organized, effective response when someone needs help.

📷Katie W. and Erin D.

09/13/2026

We were happy to be part of today’s Saskatoon Heart Beat Run, providing first aid for participants along the way.

It was a great day supporting the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation Mending Little Hearts Fund. Thanks to everyone who ran or walked, volunteered and helped make the event a success!

We’re proud to use our skills in support of the community!

📷 Andy C.

09/08/2026

What if your loved one wandered away? Would you know where to start looking?

For families of people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, Down syndrome, or other cognitive or developmental conditions, the risk of wandering can be frightening.

Project Lifesaver can help bring them home.

Our program uses specialized technology to help quickly locate a person who has wandered and become lost.

Learn more about Project Lifesaver Saskatoon in our slide deck, visit projectlifesaversaskatoon dot org, or contact us to find out if the program could help your family.

09/07/2026

Our team is en route to this search!

Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers has been dispatched to Northern Saskatchewan by the Saskatchewan RCMP. SARSAV chapters deployed from Highway 55N Search and Rescue , Prince Albert North Search And Rescue Battlefords Search and Rescue Saskatoon Search and Rescue North Corman Park Search and Rescue Wadsar Wadena working along side RCMP 'F' Div. GSAR TEAM and Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and supported by the SARSAV Search Management Team remotely.

Multiple agencies working together behind the scenes and on location to bring the lost and missing home.

. Photo is not from the search out of respect for privacy