BC Search and Rescue is asking the Province for help.
The volunteer-based organization has put together a proposal asking the Provincial Government to provide annual funding for Search and Rescue teams across BC.
Currently, teams have to obtain all of their own funding through fund-raising and grant applications. While some teams in BC receive lots of donations, others are hard pressed to survive for lack of funding.
“To pay for things like personal protective equipment, the primary tools are grant-writing opportunities” said BCSARA Board Member Chris Mushumanski. “They are very complex and time-consuming applications to put together and there is no guarantee that a team is going to get the amount of funds that they need each year.”
According BCSARA, dedicated funding from the Province would ease the burden on smaller teams.
“It will also provide more stable and consistent funding so teams can predict in the future that they’re going to have a consistent amount of money to work with in terms of training requirements or capital purchases” said Mushumanski.
BCSARA is currently collecting letters of support from Search and Rescue teams around the province, they will present the final proposal to Government before the end of the year.