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Penticton Search and Rescue rescues two people in one Saturday

Two rescues in one day

Penticton Search and Rescue had their hands full this weekend.

On Saturday, 18 crew members responded to two different calls for assistance from BC EHS and RCMP.

The first incident took place on the Nickel Plate Nordic Centre trails, at 2:45 p.m. A 911 call had reported a middle aged woman in medical distress while out snowshoeing.

PENSAR responded with air evacuation and ground teams, while local ski patrol members gave on-scene care until the evacuation could take place at 3:50 p.m., taking the woman to hospital.

"No sooner had our helicopter team landed at the airport and our rescue trucks turned back to Penticton when we received another call at 16:25 from the Victoria Emergency Coordination Centre advising that Penticton RCMP were requesting assistance in locating a lost hiker in the Mahoney Lake area southwest of Okanagan Falls," said PENSAR manager Randy Brown.

Additional resources were called and teams headed to Mahoney Lake where search teams headed out on the local trails until they found the female hiker at 6 p.m.

"Both events were quickly resolved due to good cell communications with the injured and lost parties," Brown explained.

In the first situation, a snowshoer on scene used his iPhone to provide GPD coordinates, and in the second, the woman was able to stay in consistent contact with her rescuers, who used her cell signal to find her.

PENSAR would like to remind the public that being prepared for any trips you take is key for safety - have a trip plan, bring food and water, extra batteries for your communication devices, a signalling device and use outdoor guides like the Trailforks app to help you navigate.

For outdoor planning and tip info go to AdventureSmart.ca



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