Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue puts training to the test

A report on a training day held on Saturday 13 January 2024, combining theory and practical work, for a unit of nearly 45 members. Victoria Clarke, the SAR manager, says: "Search and rescue can often be seen as a forgotten child of the emergency services family." The team has no direct public line and is tasked only by RCMP, paramedics or local police. The article records that the team was instrumental in locating the remains of hiker Melissa McDevitt, the American tourist who had gone missing in Sooke, and that it was later confirmed she had died while on a trail near the Sooke Potholes. Member Evan Nugent, who has served with various SAR teams in British Columbia, describes searchers using all their senses, including smell, to locate deceased subjects. Brian Webb, in charge of safety and the longest-serving member on the team, says: "The Juan de Fuca trail in Sooke will account for many of the calls we get. I often joke ... I spent too much time looking at the ground to tell you what the view is like," and "If we know where you went, the chances are we know how to find you." The team has no dogs or helicopter of its own and calls in Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue and others as needed; Liz Doyle describes volunteer-supplied gear and a process under way to replace the team's jackets.