North Shore Rescue says time for volunteer search and rescue might be ending

North Shore Rescue wants to pursue other funding models and one idea, they say, is to turn the volunteer service into a paid, professional one.

The NSR is looking at another record-breaking year, with 90 calls having been fielded so far this year — close to the average for an entire year.

"The idea has been bantered around, and I do feel the current model is not sustainable," team leader Mike Danks told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

"It's not just North Shore Rescue: there are a lot of other teams in the province that are getting busier, and, at this rate, it's a real challenge for volunteers to keep up with that pace."

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Danks says getting away from the volunteer model would take away the group's pressure to fundraise, which he says actually takes up the majority of volunteers' time.

Danks says the group's annual budget is about $500,000, $170,000 of which comes from grants it applies for every year, and the rest comes from public donations.

One thing Danks does not want to see implemented is a system where people need to pay for their own rescues when they get into trouble.

"Number one, it delays people calling us, number two, it puts our rescuers in further danger because people are going to try and self rescue," he said.

"They're going to get further into more treacherous terrain. They could potentially hurt themselves or kill themselves, or they could get into a situation where they can't get out."

Danks says his team is going to be discussing potential federal and provincial funding proposals.

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: North Shore Rescue says time for volunteer search and rescue might be ending