Coquitlam search and rescue calls down more than 30%

It was a busy 2018 for many B.C. search and rescue organizations, but in one popular outdoors area the number of calls for help actually dropped.

The volunteer-run Coquitlam Search and Rescue says its number of callouts fell by nearly a third compared to the year before, with 37 responses in 2018 compared to 54 in 2017.

Just a little further west, the rescue team on the North Shore saw a record high number of calls in 2018.

"We don't really know what causes a year-over-year change. It could be it could be anything from the popularity of an area or the publication of a guidebook," said Michael Coyle, search manager for Coquitlam SAR.

The team — which serves an area covering almost 1,800 square kilometres from New Westminster north to Garibaldi Provincial Park — typically responds to 37-40 calls a year, Coyle said, making 2018 "more of a return to average."

Education and awareness

Coyle credits the high-profile rescue of Annette Poitras, a Coquitlam dog walker who went missing on Eagle Mountain for three days in November 2017, as one of the reasons behind the lower numbers of calls, because it may have helped raise awareness and education about safety in the backcountry.

"I think what made people sit up and take notice is that just walking on a well known trail in the Coquitlam area is something that can lead to a search of that length and that seriousness," he told Laura Lynch, guest host of CBC's The Early Edition.

The lower level of calls compared to other SAR teams like North Shore Rescue, which had 140 callouts last year, also comes down to terrain differences, Coyle said. 

Easier access to higher, snowier terrain can make for more rescues, he added.

"They have ski hills in their backyard," he said. "We only get very experienced people trying to go up into the snow because they know that the trails are snow covered.

"Any area with a ski hill, or even in Squamish with the [Sea to Sky] gondola, people use that to access the high country and they can get into trouble quite quickly if they're not prepared."

Coyle emphasized anyone heading outdoors should be prepared and adventure smart, bring the necessary gear and leave a trip plan behind.

"Even in the backcountry in the Coquitlam area, we have a lot of areas where you can't make a cellphone call," he said.

"If you can't call for help yourself and no one knows you're there, it could be quite a long time before we even know you're missing."