Night vision goggles approved for North Shore Rescue as part of B.C. pilot project

One of British Columbia's biggest volunteer search and rescue groups has been granted the temporary right to use night vision goggles as part of its efforts to locate lost hikers. 

The province's Ministry of Public Safety has approved North Shore Rescue to participate in a pilot project to help search and rescue groups extend their capabilities beyond daylight hours. 

In B.C., the technology is only allowed for official organizations like police or the military. 

Mike Danks, North Shore Rescue's team leader, says the project has been in the works for three years. Currently, Danks says, only the military is capable of conducting searches in aircraft at night. 

"Thirty-seven per cent of our calls come in one hour before darkness, which really puts a lot of pressure on the rescue team to respond to those calls in a heightened manner," Danks said. 

Talon Helicopters, which works closely with North Shore Rescue, recently purchased a new aircraft that comes equipped with seven night vision goggles and has instruments that can adjust to accommodate them. 

Danks says some of the volunteers have already been trained to use the goggles, and could start as soon as Monday once the paperwork with the province is squared away. 

In a written statement, the Public Safety Ministry said North Shore Rescue is the first search and rescue organization approved to use the technology and the pilot project is the first of its kind in Canada.

According to the statement, the organization responds to about 130 incidents per year.  

Danks says North Shore Rescue will assess the night vision technology's pros and cons and report back to the province for it to determine if the program should become permanent.