Squamish SAR attended multiple rescue missions on Canada Day

Squamish Search and Rescue (SSAR) had a busy day on Monday with multiple rescue missions to attend.

The SSAR team said in a social media post that the team started its day out with a call for an injured paraglider on the Stawamus Chief around 7:30 a.m.

“The paraglider was located not far from the summit of First Peak,” it said. “Three teams mobilized by air and on foot to reach him, we were able to land a helicopter next to him, allowing for a quick extraction.”

Squamish SAR Manager BJ Chute told CityNews that the “wing flight subject” had injured his back after jumping off.

“The rescue involved us hiking up and flying up to the top of the Chief and carrying this patient back to a helicopter and extracting him back to Squamish where he was left with paramedics,” he said.

The SSAR’s second rescue mission was in the same area as the Stawamus Chief, where a woman experienced “a medical condition” and had to be medevacked off.

“We had to use a helicopter long-line rescue to bring her out safely and turn her over to paramedics,” Chute said.

The social media post confirms that the woman was a hiker who suffered from heat exhaustion.

Finally, as they were finishing off the mission of rescuing the woman, Chute says they were called to assist the RCMP in locating some missing hikers at Water Sprite Lake near Squamish.

“Those hikers were located and they were assisted back onto the trail and are making their way out safely,” Chute said.

Chute says the SAR has been called out for a fourth mission, where it’s looking for another missing party.

“We’re just in the process of investigating that fourth call out for the say, which is a group of hikers that have gone missing in Squamish,” Chute confirmed.

He says he does not have any details on this fourth rescue mission yet.

Chute says he wants to remind people who are in the backcountry indulging in a recreational activity that they must do so safely.

“Take even five to ten minutes to research the area in which they’re going into, and the gear that they need,” he said. “Ensure that they have the proper training and fitness levels to partake in whichever activity they are going to take.”

Squamish SAR’s social media post thanks Blackcomb Helicopters for their assistance.

-With files from Anthony Atanasov.