Quesnel Search and Rescue boosts emergency response with new equipment donations

Quesnel Search and Rescue (QSAR) was recently bolstered by donations from two local organizations. According to QSAR, the BC Northern Real Estate Board funded new advanced first aid equipment and [...]

Quesnel Search and Rescue boosts emergency response with new equipment donations Published 3:55 pm Thursday, July 16, 2026 Quesnel Search and Rescue (QSAR) was recently bolstered by donations from two local organizations. According to QSAR, the BC Northern Real Estate Board funded new advanced first aid equipment and two emergency oxygen systems. Some of the equipment includes easy-to-transport type-E oxygen cylinders, flowmeters and bag-valve-masks.

The Quesnel Elks Lodge #298 also entirely covered the cost of six new portable VHF radios, chargers and hand mics, after also donating rope clutches the previous year. Bob Holowenko, vice president of QSAR, highlighted how helpful the donations are to the group. “The rope rescue clutches give us the ability to manage our rope in a safer and more efficient way,” he said.

“There’s less mental energy expelled trying to make sure that everything is the right way, and in this case, it brings everything down to more simple hand controls.” He added that as far as communication infrastructure goes, the replacement of six radios is quite significant. “We can’t get replacement parts for (the old radios) anymore, so those batteries that are no longer holding an efficient charge,” Holowenko explained.

“We’re now able to use (the new ones) ... it modernizes our communications infrastructure. “We’re almost always in areas where there’s no cell phone coverage, so this is our lifeline.

This is our backbone to command, it’s one of our biggest safety mechanisms.” Valerie Bergeron, membership director with Quesnel Elks Lodge #298, said that the Elks had to sell their hall as there are only five members left. “We are still very active in the community.

With proceeds of the hall, we have been able to donate $31,500 locally and have donated $6,500 to the Elks of Canada and Royal Purple Fund for Children,” she said. “We’re trying to keep everyone afloat.” Holowenko said the continuous support from organizations and businesses in Quesnel means everything to search and rescue.

“These groups that are able to help us with financing this stuff are helping us put the little bit of funding that we do get (from the government) into skills development, training development, instead of having to pickpocket those budgets in order to purchase new equipment,” he said. Holowenko added that as a society, QSAR needs to maintain a team that is ready and capable to respond while meeting certain standards and criteria. “Every year, we’re going through thousands of hours of very expensive training, and if we can’t put the funds that we have into training because we need to redirect it to other things, that could mean that we may lose capability,” he explained.

“Having these external funds from the community gives us the freedom to keep running properly and have the best of both worlds by also having new equipment.” According to Holowenko, QSAR currently has about 30 members, but they are always open to more volunteers. “We need volunteers to be able to sustain the organization,” he said.

Those who wish to volunteer their time with the search and rescue organization can access www.quesnelsar.ca and learn more about it.