As the tourist season kicks into gear, the already busy Search and Rescue teams from across the Okanagan are preparing for another busy stretch.
Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) were participating in joint boat training at Kalamalka Lake over the May 31 weekend, where teams learned about best practices, leading up to what is expected to be a busy summer season on area lakes.
"Okanagan Lake is the deadliest in B.C. as there have been 29 deaths in the past decade, with eight in Kalamalka Lake," said Mitch LaRue, boat captain of COSAR. "Between the two, around four drownings per year occur."
LaRue added that this summer the teams are expecting to be busier than usual.
"I think we are anticipating, with more people staying in Canada in the summer and a lot of Americans coming north, for it to be a busy summer."
Both organizations are constantly seeking the next best invention or gadget to make their job easier.
"The RCMP will do the primary rescue, and we are more so coming in for the rescue aspect," said LaRue. "You can imagine, searching the water, it is really hard, so we rely upon a lot of things for our job."
Among them have been two key utilities: a dog and a drone.
The dog, Barrett, is a guide dog trained to sniff for bodies.
"One thing that we've been kind of pioneering is the dog searching for underwater victims," said LaRue. "The dog's able to scent the off gassing of somebody in the water, as you get that thermocline where the top of the water is fairly warm, but underneath is close to freezing."
Colder water is denser, and can hold bodies down, so much so that it's possible they may never come up.
"There have been subjects here that have been found after six, seven months in the lake," said LaRue. "So we never really want to give up on those people as families want answers."
A commercial drone that can canvass the grounds of lakes up to 1,000 feet is also being utilized by COSAR.
"Anywhere in Lake Okanagan, where we may have somebody, we can access them through this drone," said LaRue. "It is primarily being used as a mobile underwater search device, as it is hundreds of times more efficient than just a drop camera, because you can search the area much quicker. "
COSAR and VSAR also continued to search for Robert Baines, who has been missing for more than a year, during the joint training session.
"The lake is big, and it's like finding a needle in a haystack without prior planning," said LaRue. "Searching anything more than a 500 metre by 500 metre area is not even worth it, that's why it's important we can use Barrett and the drone when we can."
LaRue gave an example of the mudslide near Fintry in April. The area was defined pretty tightly of 500 metres by 500 metres and it still took their teams four to five days of operational time.
According to LaRue, a common thing that occurs during drownings, especially in the shoulder season (May-June and September), is that people would jump into the water, get a cold packet of water and that will create a shock response where they want to breathe in.
"They'll breathe and they'll aspirate and drown," said LaRue. "We just want people to be safe when on the water. Be mindful of what is going on, carry the basic essentials, wear life jackets and have ways to move the boat around with paddles and a way to anchor."
A rescue while training
During the training sessions, COSAR ended up executing a rescue as they saved a baby deer, who had fallen down a steep cliff on Kalamalka's Rattlesnake Point point and was trapped.
Crews on scene consulted with a wildlife expert on the best course of action. The crew rescued the fawn and carried up back up to the top of the hill for their mother to find them.
"The mule deer fawn was likely no more than one day old," said LaRue. “She was quite wet and breathing quickly when we rescue her, but she was otherwise uninjured. We were able to access her with VSAR's jet boat and carry her to the top of the steep cliff where her mother was last seen.”
“We have rescued dozens of people over the years and even a few dogs, but a newborn baby deer was definitely a first for me,” LaRue added.
