ABOUT
HISTORY
Foothills Search and Rescue was formed in 1993 to provide the RCMP, Calgary Police Services, Alberta Emergency Management Agency, and other partners, with trained and experienced members for ground search and rescue, disaster relief, and civil emergencies.
Search Management representatives from the RCMP, Calgary Police, and Kananaskis Country have encouraged and guided us from the beginning, continuing to act as both advisors and active members of Foothills Search and Rescue. For over 30 years Foothills Search and Rescue has provided assistance to hundreds of callouts, multiple disasters, and have become an important resource of professional volunteers for the region.
GROUND SEARCH AND RESCUE
Foothills SAR specializes in ground search and rescue tactics – providing professional search management, lost person behaviour strategies, all-weather response, and subject extraction from difficult wilderness locations. Our team regularly trains in hiking and snowshoeing terrain, in on-and-off trail conditions, through difficult navigation requirements, to increase chances of safely returning people from wilderness emergencies.
All Foothills SAR operational members require SARVAC National Certification, maintaining professional CSA core competencies.
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RESPONSE
Foothills SAR has multiple OHV’s on hand, for fast deployment to provide subject containment, resources, rescue, and evacuation. Our specialty members are professionally certified and trained in wilderness OHV operation and travel, and are able to provide all the necessary care as any operational ground SAR responder.
DISASTER RESPONSE
Foothills SAR is called on regularly to respond to disasters province-wide, upon request by tasking partners. As part of a joint effort with SAR Alberta, Foothills SAR has members trained in emergency management and disaster relief to provide on-the-ground resources. Whether it is flooding, wildfires, evacuations, or aiding reception centres, Foothills SAR members are there.
LOW-MODERATE ANGLE ROPE RESCUE
Foothills SAR provides professional low-moderate angle rope rescue assistance in emergency situations. Our team regularly trains in mock scenarios and challenging conditions, to ensure people are safely extracted from difficult conditions our ground SAR team may not be able to safely access.
Our rope rescue team has NFPA 1006 certified Rope Rescue Operators and Rope Rescue Technicians.
