For Chris Mushumanski, regional director of the Bulkley Nechako Region for British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, former president of the Nechako Valley Search and Rescue team and an active member of the group for over 20 years, organizations like the Nechako Valley Search and Rescue are almost entirely a community affair.
“I think its about giving back to the community,” says Mushumanski. “The sincere gratitude we receive for what we do is a rewarding experience. Particularly when you look at developing skills and giving back to the community, in a small town, you want to give back and you want to be able to help out.”
The Nechako Valley Search and Rescue (NVSAR) organization has been operating since 1991 and for Mushumanski, one of the 33 volunteer members who are currently apart of the NVSAR, community support is a fundamental aspect that inhibits the work of the group.
“I always want to highlight that there are some amazing organizations out there that have the means to be able to financially support groups like us,” says Mushumanski. “But then also, they are recognizing the value of what we do so that they are supporting us.”
One of the 80 search and rescue groups currently in B.C., Mushumanski says that the NVSAR makes their contribution to the nearly 1600 callouts in British Columbia each year by donating time and effort to missing persons cases, environmental evacuations and evidence recovery under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“Obviously a lot of the things we deal with are sensitive, since we are tasked out by RCMP, ambulance or the coroner”, says Mushumanski. “I’ll liken it to a cabinet maker. When building a cabinet, sometimes he uses this tool, sometimes he uses that tool. The RCMP is the cabinet maker, we’re just a tool.”
For the NVSAR, the most recent community contributions come from 13 different organizations and community members to support the constructions of a new three-bay garage, that will ultimately house the mobile command centres that the NVSAR use on their callouts around northern British Columbia.
Since the NVSAR operates on a solely volunteer basis, fundraising and grant applications are major aspects when it comes to receiving the funds needed to continue operations. Luckily, per Mushumanski, instrumental community support has been granted over the years in many different ways.
“We’re fortunate enough to have community members who own jet boats, so we provide them with rescue training and they volunteer and help us out when they can,” says Mushumanski. “It’s been an awesome partnership.”
Since Mushumanski and the NVSAR are constantly trying to give back to the community in any way that they can, a groundbreaking construction event for the aforementioned three-bay garage building was held on May 17.
“We wanted to recognize everyone who has come to the table and made contributions,” says Mushumanski. “But, we also want to let the community know that we are still fundraising for the project.”
Currently, per Mushumanski, approximately $200,000 has been donated by different agencies and community groups. Pending grant applications and further community support is needed to reach their ultimate goal of $350,000.
Chris Mushumanski and the Nechako Valley Search and Rescue group would like to recognize the following groups for their contributions toward their newest building. Nechako Valley SAR, British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, Four Rivers Co-op Community Fund, Friends and family of Gregory Teichroeb, Moby Concrete, Chris Markoff Memorial Fund, Saik’uz First Nation, Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, Stellat’en First Nation, Village of Fraser Lake, Village of Vanderhoof, Regional District Bulkley Nechako, Integers Community Foundation.