Terrace Search and Rescue

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Terrace Search and Rescue

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Volunteer search and rescue group, based out of Terrace, BC. The
trauma inflicted upon indigenous children and communities continues to
reverberate to this day.

As members of Terrace Search and Rescue (TSAR) we acknowledge that
our search tasks, training, and meetings take place on the ancestral lands
and traditional territories of the Sm’algygx speaking peoples of
Kitsumkalum and Kitselas, belonging to the Laxyuubm Ts’msyen
(Tsimshian Nation). TSAR members are mindful of the land's history, particularly the
significance of the Highway 16 corridor that intersects it. This ‘Highway of
Tears’ is a stark reminder of the ongoing systemic racism, violence and
injustices faced by First Nations communities. We also recognize the
legacy of residential schools, day schools and sanatoriums (hospitals) in
the Northwest area, which were part of a larger system of assimilation and
cultural genocide inflicted upon First Nations peoples across Canada. We honor the enduring stewardship since time immemorial of the
Tsimshian people over these lands and waterways. Our commitment lies in
learning from indigenous wisdom and viewpoints, and actively fostering
reconciliation and healing through meaningful action. As we engage in our search and rescue operations and training activities,
we do so with respect for the Kitsumkalum and Kitselas Laxyuup. We also
humbly recognize that our pursuits extend onto the sacred and ancestral
lands of the Nisga’a, Haisla, and Gitxsan Nations. We endeavor to learn, listen, and act in alignment with the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission's calls to action (TRC) and the agreement
between BCSARA and FNHA, which delineates specific steps aligned with
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(UNDRIP).

10/11/2026

🚨 Last 24h to sign up for your scheduled interview!

Our interview registrations are coming to a close. If you are interested in joining our team this year, make sure to sign up before Monday noon (Oct 12).

Registering for your interview spot can only be done through this website: https://koalendar.com/e/terrace-gsar-interviews

🦃Happy Thanksgiving Weekend everyone!🎃

10/10/2026

🚑 We may have hinted that our members had a packed schedule last weekend, and we weren’t kidding! Between upgrades and projects in and around our SAR hall, members responding to a callout, and three separate First Aid training sessions, there was plenty happening behind the scenes. 🚨

Two of these courses were delivered by a highly knowledgeable PEAK Emergency Response Training instructor, helping our members strengthen their skills and expand their capabilities.

Here’s a look at what our team has been up to! 👇

🩺 Friday & Saturday: Advanced Protocol Training Program (APTP)

Members from Terrace Search and Rescue, Prince Rupert Ground Search and Rescue, and Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue came together for this advanced training program.

Designed for certified Advanced First Aid responders, the course builds on existing skills and introduces additional patient care options, including pain management strategies and protocols for cardiac arrest in non-urban settings.

In remote environments, where professional medical assistance may be some distance away, these additional skills can make a meaningful difference in patient care while help is on the way.

📚 Sunday: Intermediate Non-Urban Emergency Care First Aid Refresher

Our TSAR members returned to the classroom for refresher training in Intermediate Non-Urban Emergency Care First Aid.

Last year, this group completed the full four-day course. This refresher gave them the opportunity to revisit essential skills, reinforce their knowledge, and keep their training current.

Because in SAR, knowing what to do is important — and being able to put that knowledge into practice when it matters is even more important!

🛟 Monday Evening: Stretcher Skills Practice

Terrace First Aid responders of all levels came together to practise the safe and comfortable transport of a patient using a stretcher.

Moving a patient is about much more than simply picking up the handles and walking. It takes communication, coordination, teamwork, and an understanding of how to keep both the patient and the rescuers safe.

🌲 Why all this training? 🩹

Search and Rescue operations can take place in challenging terrain, changing weather, and locations far from immediate medical assistance. Keeping our skills sharp, learning new techniques, and practising together helps us prepare for the unexpected.

Our volunteers put in a tremendous amount of time behind the scenes to be ready when the community needs them. And while the callouts may be the most visible part of SAR, the training, preparation, and teamwork are what help make those responses possible.

A huge thank-you to our instructors and to everyone who continues to invest their time and energy into learning, practising, and supporting our community! 🙌

10/09/2026

📅Only a few interview spots are left.

If you are interested in joining Terrace Search & Rescue, make sure to book your interview ASAP.
You can do so by clicking the following link: 👇

https://koalendar.com/e/terrace-gsar-interviews

Interviews will be taking place next week.

For any questions, please connect through Messenger 📨

10/05/2026

🚧 Exciting things are happening at the Terrace Search & Rescue hall! 🛠️🏠

And no, this time we’re not talking about training or further advancing the skills of our team members… 👀 (Although that’s been happening over the weekend, too! 😉 Stay tuned for those updates!)

We’ve been busy completing the upstairs area of our SAR hall, and things are really starting to take shape! 🎉

Once completed, this space will serve multiple purposes: a training area, meeting space, and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

But what exactly is an EOC, and why is it important for our community? 🤔🔎

During a major emergency event (e.g. wildfire) or during a large search or rescue operation, an EOC can serve as a central hub for coordination, communication, planning, and decision-making. It’s where information can be gathered and shared, resources coordinated, operational plans developed, and the bigger picture kept in focus. Having a dedicated space for these activities helps our emergency responders work more efficiently when it matters most. 🚁📻🗺️

Of course, transforming this space into something special doesn’t happen by magic (although some days, we wish it did! 🪄😜).

It takes a community! ❤️

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our amazing SAR volunteers, the skills and hard work of local contractors, and the generous donations from members of the public and local businesses.

To everyone who has contributed their time, skills, materials, donations, or helping hands: THANK YOU! 🙌 Your generosity is helping us build more than just a room. You’re helping us create a space that will support our volunteers, strengthen our training, and improve our ability to serve our community when people need us most.

And the progress? It’s so exciting to see! Every time we visit the hall, something new has happened. Just in the last few days, approximately three-quarters of our beautiful new flooring has been laid! 🪵✨
See below pictures of just some of these changes within the last month!

We can’t wait to share more progress with you as this project continues to come together. Stay tuned for the next update! 👀

10/03/2026

🚁🏔️ Training, teamwork & a little mountain adventure…

On Saturday, September 26, five TSAR members headed out for additional helicopter hover-exit training and recertification with Summit Helicopters — including one member earning their first hover-exit qualification! 👏

Before heading into the mountains, the team spent time with the pilot discussing landing locations, different exit strategies depending on terrain, and the different types of helicopter operations, crafts and the advantages of each. Because in SAR, getting to the subject safely is just as important as knowing what to do once you get there.

The training continued with a practical overnight trip. Five members — plus one very happy dog 🐕 — were flown to the Anderson Cabin on Mount Remo.

The weather cooperated… mostly. 😅 They had light rain, periods of fog and some beautiful misty mountain views while exploring the surrounding area on foot. The evening gave everyone a chance to slow down and get to know each other a little better than our usual SAR activities allow.

The cabin was cozy despite periods of sleet, with the wood stove keeping things warm through the night. And when the clouds parted, the full moon lit up the cabin windows and surrounding mountains. 🌕🔥

The following morning was wet, but the forecasted heavy rain held off until the next day. There were still some partial views on the hike out before the fog settled in on the descent, and thankfully, the trails were only moderately wet.

But as with any good SAR trip, there was plenty of learning happening along the way.

🧭 Topics discussed included:
• Fall vs. winter survival requirements
• What to put in — and what to leave out of — a go-bag
• Gear comparisons and lightweight options
• Lightweight food and electrolyte-balancing snacks
• Navigation options and the importance of having a backup
• Communication options: radios/repeaters, inReach, cell phones and satellite phones
• The reality of no cell service at the cabin (although service can be reached from a nearby ridge)
• Hiking with a dog in bear country 🐻🐕
• Helicopter safety and hover-exit procedures
• How to minimize risk when flying with a dog

💡 The SAR takeaway?

A beautiful backcountry trip can still turn into a serious situation very quickly. Weather changes, communication gaps, limited access, terrain and even the season can dramatically change what you need to stay safe.

That’s why trip planning, appropriate gear, multiple communication options and knowing your environment are so important — and why SAR training isn't just about practising rescues. It's also about understanding the challenges people can face before a rescue is ever needed.

And sometimes, the best training happens while enjoying a little time in the mountains together. ❤️

A big thank you to Summit Helicopters for the training and to everyone who helped make this a fantastic TSAR trip!

10/01/2026

🧡On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we pause to honour the strength, resilience, and enduring spirit of Indigenous Peoples. We remember the children and families whose lives were forever changed by the legacy of residential schools, and we recognize the truth of the history we carry together. May this day inspire us to listen, learn, reflect, and take meaningful steps toward reconciliation. With compassion, understanding, and respect, may we continue building a future rooted in justice, healing, dignity, and unity.🧡

As members of Terrace Search and Rescue (TSAR) we acknowledge that our search tasks, training, and meetings take place on the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Sm’algygx speaking peoples of Kitsumkalum and Kitselas, belonging to the Laxyuubm Ts’msyen (Tsimshian Nation).

As we engage in our search and rescue operations and training activities, we do so with respect for the Kitsumkalum and Kitselas Laxyuup. We also humbly recognize that our pursuits extend onto the sacred and ancestral lands of the Nisga’a, Haisla, and Gitxsan Nations.

09/28/2026

🐾 A HUGE congratulations to Joelle & Solo from Kitimat Search and Rescue !!🎉

This is a BIG deal for the North! 🙌

With Joelle & Solo officially becoming a validated Wilderness Search K9 team, the number of validated search dogs and handlers available between Prince Rupert and Prince George has doubled! 🐕‍🦺

A Terrace puppy also attended the course this week. Unfortunately, it turned out that this particular pup wasn’t quite suited for this line of work and didn’t pass the assessment. While it may not have been the outcome we were hoping for, it was still a valuable learning experience. ❤️
Two TSAR members had the opportunity to observe a variety of puppy and advanced K9 teams throughout the week and learned an absolute ton! 🐶📚

All of that knowledge will help us better prepare and train any prospective future Terrace SAR K9 teams.

Congratulations Joelle & Solo! You’ve earned it! 👏🐾🎉

09/22/2026

👣 Tracking: because sometimes the ground has a story to tell.👀

A huge thank you to the five British Columbia Tracking Association Society (BCTA) instructors who travelled all the way from Quesnel and Fort St. James to share their knowledge, passion and expertise in tracking with SAR teams across the Northwest! 🙌

This weekend, Terrace Search & Rescue hosted a tracking course at the beautiful Lakelse Pentecostal Campground, bringing together groups from Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert and Fort St. James.

So, what exactly is tracking?

In the SAR world, tracking is the skill (and a little bit of detective work 🕵‍♂️) of identifying where a person has travelled by locating footprints and other signs of passage. Every footprint, broken branch, disturbed patch of vegetation or other subtle clue can help tell the story of where someone has been — and where they may have gone next.

💡Here is an outdoor pro tip that was shared with me this weekend:
⚠️When you're making your pre-trip plans, why not attach a quick photo of the bottoms of your shoes? 👟📸
Often, after someone reports you as missing, loved ones will be asked what footwear you were wearing. Providing the pictures will quickly answer that question. That distinctive tread pattern could provide a valuable clue and may help trackers identify your tracks sooner.

And a big congratulations to Terrace SAR members Manny, Ricki, and Stepheny, who advanced their tracking qualifications this weekend and are now Track Aware certified!🎉👣

Speaking of advancing skills… another one of our members was busy this weekend completing his Ground SAR Team Leader course. Well done, Bruce! 👏

From following footprints to leading search teams, our volunteers are constantly learning, training and building skills that can make a difference when it matters most. 💪🧭

👥 We are currently recruiting for new members, if you are interested in joining, come meet some of our team members on Thursday at 7pm at our SAR hall!

Train hard. Track smart. Stay safe out there!

09/14/2026

A little follow-up to yesterday’s post about Terrace Search & Rescue looking for new members to join our team… 👀

Remember when we mentioned "commitment", "training" and "volunteer perks"?
Well… sometimes those categories get a little blurry. 😜

Take yesterday, for example. Some of our members spent little over 12 HOURS training together. Yep… twelve. 💪
And no, we weren’t just sitting around drinking coffee and talking about SAR. Although… lots of sitting may have been involved. 😉

Depending on each member’s experience and area of expertise, the day included:

- 🚙 ATV familiarisation
- 🚁 Drone training
- 🧭 Leadership
- 🗺️ Developing pre-plans
- ⚠️ Risk assessments
- 🚚 Trailer driving, loading & unloading
- 🎙Radio communications
- 🧩 Problem-solving

One of the things we all worked on was pre-planning — basically getting out into our community and learning the terrain before we need to respond to an emergency.
We look at potential scenarios, access points, hazards and possible response options. That way, when the phone goes off, we’re not starting from scratch. Every bit of preparation can help us respond faster and more effectively when time really matters. ⏱️

The mentorship of our "more seasoned members" was definitely appreciated to help novices like myself get hands-on training! 👏

And we couldn't have lucked out more with the weather. ☀️
So while we were busy learning, practising and putting our skills to the test, we also got to enjoy some pretty spectacular scenery right here in our own backyard. 🏔️🌲

We feel pretty fortunate to be able to learn, train and volunteer in such a beautiful part of the world. We’re grateful to be welcomed onto and to work within the traditional and unceded territories of the First Nations who have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial. ❤️

There is a lot to be thankful for — the land, the people, the opportunity to learn from one another, and the privilege of helping our community when we’re needed. 🥰

👀 Can you guess where exactly we were training?
Drop your guess in the comments! 👇

Address

4455 Greig Avenue
Terrace, BC
V8G1M4

Telephone

+12506157451

Website

http://www.terracesearchandrescue.org/

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