Kitimat Search and Rescue

🚁 KGSAR Helicopter Annual Training – Round 2!

Another group of KGSAR members has completed the practical portion of our annual helicopter training!

Helicopter operations require specialized knowledge, communication, and safety awareness. This annual training helps our members refresh and maintain these important skills so we can work safely and effectively alongside helicopter crews during search and rescue incidents.

A huge thank you to Quantum Helicopters for supporting our training and helping our members maintain these essential skills. We also appreciate our members’ continued commitment to training and operational readiness!

Train together. Stay ready. Serve our community. 💪

BC AdventureSmart

🚁 KGSAR Helicopter Training – Practical Skills in Action!

The first group of Kitimat Ground Search and Rescue (KGSAR) members have completed the second part of our annual helicopter awareness training — the practical portion! 👏

This is where we put our knowledge into practice and work on the skills needed to operate safely and effectively around helicopters during search and rescue operations.

As part of our practical training, members practice hover exit and entry procedures, learning how to safely approach and depart a helicopter while it is in a hover. This includes understanding crew communication, following pilot and flight crew direction, maintaining situational awareness, and working together as a team in a dynamic environment.

Helicopter operations require preparation, communication, and a strong understanding of safety procedures. Regular training helps ensure our members remain confident, competent, and ready to respond when our community needs us.

A huge thank you to Quantum Helicopters for working with us and helping make this important hands-on training possible. We appreciate your time, expertise, and support in keeping our volunteers prepared and safe! 🚁

Train together. Stay safe. Be ready.

BC AdventureSmart

KGSAR was proud to be part of the 47th Annual Telethon! 🎉

Six members of our team pitched in to help make this amazing community event a success!

Three of our members volunteered on the donation panels, taking calls and accepting generous donations. Another worked in the camera booth, capturing the incredible talent in our community, one of our team members supported programming behind the scenes, and one was behind the camera bringing the performances to your screen!

We’re proud to have been part of this wonderful community event, supporting local initiatives, celebrating homegrown talent, and helping bring our community together.

A huge shout-out to our KGSAR volunteers for stepping up, lending a hand, and making a difference both on and off the search line! 💙🧡

🚁 Kitimat Ground Search and Rescue – Helicopter Awareness Training

Our Kitimat GSAR team gathered together for our annual Helicopter Awareness Training, taking the time to refresh essential skills, review safety procedures, and strengthen our confidence when working around helicopters during search and rescue operations.

In SAR, training is never a one-and-done activity. Staying current, practicing our skills, and understanding the risks helps keep our members, aviation crews, and the people we serve safe.

We’re proud to have a team that continues to invest time and effort into learning, improving, and being ready when our community needs us. 💛🖤

A big thank-you to everyone who took part and helped make this training possible!

Train together. Stay sharp. Come home safe. 🚁

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We are always blown away by the incredible support we receive from the communities of Kitimat and Kitamaat Village.

It is truly an honour to volunteer our time and serve the people in the communities we call home — and beyond.

Recently, we received a very generous donation from Natalie and Daniel Chimko, owners of Dal Monte’s Wood-Craft Limited. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and continued support of Kitimat Ground Search and Rescue.

Community support like this makes a real difference to our team and the work we do. We can’t thank you enough!

Thank you, Natalie and Daniel, for standing behind our volunteers and helping us continue to be there when our communities need us most.

Dal Monte's Wood-Craft Ltd.

Tonight’s the night Kitimat. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is here!
Tickets at the door at the Mount Elizabeth Theatre.
The doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7pm.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2026 Trailer Experience an unforgettable evening of thrilling adventure – up on ...

A huge thank you to the British Columbia Tracking Association Society (BCTA) instructors who travelled from Quesnel and Fort St. James to share their knowledge, passion and expertise with SAR teams across the Northwest!

September 19 to 21, Terrace Search & Rescue hosted a tracking course, bringing together SAR members from Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert and Fort St. James.

Kitimat Ground Search & Rescue was proud to have one of our members, Julie Stevens, attend and take part in the training.

So, what exactly is tracking?

In the SAR world, tracking is the skill — and a little bit of detective work — of identifying where a person has travelled by locating footprints and other signs of passage. Every footprint, broken branch, disturbed patch of vegetation or other subtle clue can help tell the story of where someone has been — and where they may have gone next.

A big thank you to our instructors and to Terrace SAR for hosting! 👏

AdventureSmart British Columbia Tracking Association Society

🐾🎉 **CONGRATULATIONS, JOELLE & SOLO!** 🎉🐾

Kitimat has a new Search and Rescue member — SOLO! 🐕‍🦺🚨

We are incredibly proud to congratulate Joelle and Solo on successfully completing their Wilderness Search Test, conducted by the RCMP, and officially becoming a validated Search and Rescue K9 team.

For the past year, Joelle and Solo have dedicated countless hours to training with the BC Search Dog Association, working toward the skills and standards required of a Search and Rescue K9 team.

Their hard work is paying off — and Solo has already been recognized for his huge potential in Search and Rescue by the RCMP officer who assessed their team. 👏

This is a tremendous accomplishment. Becoming a trained K9 Search Team requires an incredible commitment of time, energy, patience and teamwork. It takes dedication from both the handler and the dog, and Joelle has taken on that challenge with determination and commitment.

🐾Joelle & Solo are Kitimat's first K9 Search Team and one of only two validated K9 teams serving the Northwest.

Their team is available to support Search and Rescue groups throughout the region when a trained search dog is needed.

Joelle, thank you for taking on this challenge, putting in the work, and representing Kitimat Ground Search & Rescue so proudly.

We are so proud of you both — and we can't wait to see where this incredible team goes from here!

Welcome to KGSAR, Solo! 🐾❤️


BC AdventureSmart

Kitimat, the Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming up on October 2!

Dance Kitimat will be hosting a bake sale and concession with lots of tasty treats to enjoy. Come on down for an exciting evening! Tickets will be available at the door, and don't forget to bring cash for the baking.

See you there! 🏔️🎥