COCHRANE— All across the province, groups of selfless individuals volunteer countless hours of their time to various search and rescue groups.
These groups typically fill in gaps where paid resources, like RCMP, or the Kananaskis Public Safety Section is unavailable.
Here at home, at the gateway to the Bow Valley, Cochrane Search and Rescue fills that role.
Cochrane Search and Rescue typically responds to about 20 calls per year on average.
The organization is typically tasked with searches of missing people, body recoveries and ground sweeps for evidence or signs of an errant individual.
If the members recognize the need for a rescue during deployment, they will typically call in the Kananaskis Public Safety Section, which has access to a rescue helicopter, equipped with a human external cargo rescue apparatus, used to transport rescuers who dangle from a cord attached to the bottom of the aircraft.
It’s a heavy load to bear, and the men and women of Cochrane Search and Rescue shoulder the burden with enthusiasm.
On Thursday (Aug. 13), 25 volunteer members attended a routine training exercise, several of whom had spent the previous several days attending the scene of a presumed body recovery near the Seebe Dam, after a swimmer was swept away by the fast-moving river.
This year, as of July 24, with the increased foot traffic in the Alberta Rockies and Parks, they were already at 19 calls. That figure represents roughly one call every two weeks.
There are 74 members of Cochrane Search and Rescue, 64 of which are currently “operational,” said Stefan Lund, president of Cochrane Search and Rescue, meaning that they are ready to respond to a call.
The members of Cochrane Search and Rescue are particularly dedicated, said Lund. In 2019, the 70-or-so members contributed roughly 8,000 volunteer hours to the organization.
“Our requirement is 40 hours per annum, and we had about 70 members, so that works out to only 2,800 hours. Our members are contributing about triple the minimum expectation because of the commitment we have,” he said.
The dedication that runs throughout the organization stars from the top, with a dedicated board of directors and leaders who devote countless hours of their time to Cochrane Search and Rescue.
The former president and current search manager of Cochrane Search and Rescue, Andy Potton, is a living glossary of the rescues performed throughout the years.
He quickly recalls the names of subjects, the setting and location of the searches, the number of responding members, and when the searches happened without referring to notes.
And for good reason.
Potton’s position within Cochrane Search and Rescue is deeply personal.
His father was a helicopter pilot in the United Kingdom.
In 2006, his father was flying a routine trip over the Irish Sea, when the helicopter went down, killing everyone on board.
Local search and rescue operators were deployed, alongside the Royal Air Force, local police, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, a volunteer funded search and rescue resource.
“That really opened my eyes to what it means to have a loved one brought home,” he said. “Yes they’re deceased, but to even have that closure is incredible.”
He got involved in the fundraising efforts for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, which led him into training to become a search and rescue member.
When he decided to immigrate to Canada in 2011, he became aware of Cochrane Search and Rescue within the first six months of his arrival and signed up.
The job has had an obvious impact on him, his life and his family, he said, especially because of his personal experience.
“I struggle to shut down, I struggle to let go. My wife, bless her, has been an absolute rock, she’s so supportive.”
Potton noted that he has a specific ringtone programmed into his phone for emergency calls. When his wife hears his phone goes off, she immediately begins preparing him food and coffee for the field while he gathers his gear.
“I’ve even abandoned her at stores,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve taken the vehicle, and bless her, she’s walked out expecting me to still be in the car park and I’ve left.”
The families that stand behind the members are key to the operation running as smoothly as it does.
The impact of being a search and rescue volunteer has a deep impact on the family of every member, Potton said. The sacrifices that the position demands extend far beyond the effects it has on the members.
“When we’re getting called out, it’s affecting member’s professional careers, and their families have got to step up particularly if we’re out for long periods time. Families get time without their parents because their parents are responding,” he said. “Being a volunteer takes a lot out of you. There are families that don’t have a huge income, and they’ve got to forego things to allow mom or dad to purchase their search and rescue equipment,” said Potton.
The total cost of a comprehensive search and rescue kit is upwards of $1,000.
“It is the families that keep us going,” he added.
Potton became president in 2015, and within the last year, he transitioned from the role of president, to search manager.
Lund, the current president, was a natural choice to be Potton’s successor.
He got involved with Cochrane Search and Rescue shortly after graduating from university.
“Volunteering was something that was really important to me and I did a lot of sports coaching with youth and stuff like that. Once I got back to work and I kind of settled into the whole ‘contributor to society’ kind of thing, I realized that there was that part of my life still missing,” he said. “For me, it was a natural fit.”
Because of his background in coaching, Lund began to take on the role of an instructor within Cochrane Search and Rescue.
“After I became a full-time member, I started to manage the navigation compass communications training, and sort of took that on as my responsibility,” he said.
The board of directors recommended that he become a team leader, which is “the next natural transition out of the standard ground search member."
“The torch got passed. I don’t know what happened,” Lund laughed. “One day I kind of just woke up and was president.”
The nature of an organization like this is in constant flux, said Potton, and because of that, the leadership needs to change so new ideas can be introduced without resistance.
“In all types of volunteerism, there’s always a risk of the board of directors wanting to retain power of the organization,” he said. “In that, they cease to be forward-thinking, in how they can manage, not just the team, but how they can approach and work within the community. Cochrane Search and Rescue is continually developing from the callouts we have, to the people we look for, to the members we have join. So, as part of that, it’s natural for the leadership within the organization to change, otherwise, it can quickly become… an organization that will always fall back on the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ and become resistant to change.”
The reason that Potton chose Lund as his successor extends far beyond the need for new ideas.
“Because of his level-headedness, his calm nature, his gentle leadership. I could bring so many things as a leader, and they were no longer relevant to the organization,” he said. “Through my working with the board and all of the other members, we achieved what my leadership could afford, and from there, there was a different brand of leadership needed.”
Potton noted that Cochrane Search and Rescue went through a rough patch around 2014. He said oftentimes on calls, members would show up whom he had never met, or had seen at a training exercise. As president, he worked hard to develop a dedicated core of members, which he achieved. Now the organization needs to head in a different direction.
The philosophy keeping the leadership of Cochrane Search and Rescue flexible, and putting a high emphasis on the quality of new members was the motivating factor for the change.
“In any organizational chart you’ll always see the president, or the CEO, at the top of the pyramid, and we think of that the other way around,” he explained. “The most important people in our organization are our members in training because it’s them that defines how the organization looks like over the next few years.
“That was why I approached Stefan because I think Stefan can do that and champion that new change.”
Lund acknowledged that he had big shoes to fill, but he is motivated to carry on the tradition of excellence in Cochrane Search and Rescue.
“I can’t take away the profound impact that search and rescue has had on Andy, and his involvement is beyond comparison compared to any other member in terms of time and passion put into it,” said Lund. “I kind of have imposter syndrome a little bit. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t earned my position in the organization, I haven’t done the time and contributed as much as I could have, but that makes me want to do better and do more.”
