Officials in La Ronge are discussing the formation of a new ground search and rescue unit.
This past weekend, the RCMP search team from Regina was called in to help locate a woman who had gone missing while picking berries.
La Ronge RCMP Sgt. Rene Giroux says it took several hours for the team and equipment to arrive.
Giroux says the need for trained searchers and radio operators was made apparent:
“It wasn’t too bad, because one of our spotters on the plane could text me . . . but it took awhile. If we would have had one of those ground-to-air radios, it would have probably saved 45 minutes.”
He adds a number of groups would like to see a locally-based team of trained volunteers:
“It’s going to be a joint venture between the reserve, the province and volunteers — with a trailer here with all the equipment for first response, and a hasty team trained and ready to start so we don’t always have to wait for the big resources coming from six to nine hours away.”
Giroux says many details still have to be worked out, but he hopes a La Ronge search and rescue unit can be operating this fall.