Vernon Search and Rescue's new facility on Silver Star Road. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

Larger Facility

Vernon Search and Rescue has new home

May 17, 2023 | 2:37 PM

Search and rescuers in Greater Vernon are now operating out of a new facility.

The ribbon was cut for the new Vernon Search and Rescue building on Silver Star Road Tuesday, May 17.

Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) had previously operated out of a building next to the Regional District of North Okanagan office on Aberdeen Road in Coldstream and this new facility is a lot bigger and more accommodating than where they previously operated.

“We finally have [on-site] storage for all our equipment, which is key for response times,” VSAR president Daniel Hoekstra told Vernon Matters.

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“We have two training rooms and also a proper boardroom, and we also have a state-of-the-art command centre for all our search managers to operate right out of the building which is super nice. We also have access that the public can use. We have a downstairs section that the public can rent out and use and it has a kitchen and a seating area and washrooms.”

Vernon Search and Rescue’s new facility is able to easily accommodate and store all of their equipment. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

The board room and command centre at the new Vernon Search and Rescue facility. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Hoekstra said the new facility is approximately five times the size of their previous facility and now they have proper storage space for all their equipment, which includes trucks, boats, snowmobiles, ATVs and electric bikes.

Along with the facility providing better storage and dispatching of VSAR equipment for emergencies, it will also allow for enhanced training opportunities.

“Now we can do in-house training, we can also invite other Search and Rescue groups to come here and train because now we have the space,” Hoekstra explained.

“We also have a rope climbing wall being put in, so that helps our rope team.”

The location of the new facility is also expected to provide better response times when VSAR members are called out to an emergency as they are more centrally located, though there may be some complications in the first few calls.

“There’s a huge learning curve, just operating the [10 bay] doors and all the electronics. Before we were pretty confined and everything was in a small space and now we’re a little more spread out,” Hoekstra remarked.

The new facility is located along a busy section of Silver Star Road but Hoekstra stated they have trained flaggers to handle traffic for when crews are being dispatched or returning to the facility and it should not be a concern for future operations.

VSAR moved into the new building over the weekend, and Hoekstra added it “still feels surreal,” though noted that will probably change after they have their first few call-outs.

RDNO chair and Lumby mayor, Kevin Acton, confirmed with Vernon Matters the cost of the new facility was roughly $3.6 million, which was about $800,000 more than originally estimated when the plan to build a new facility was first proposed four years ago.

Despite the increase, Acton considered it a great price, mainly because they had some money in reserves set aside for it and had put the plan in action and secured contractors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding “we probably couldn’t get in now for $20 [million].”

In 2018, the public approved the borrowing of $3.5 million for the land and building through an alternative approval process.

Acton added the new location is expected to improve on what he deemed an “already incredible response time” as it is closer to SilverStar Mountain and Okanagan Lake.

VSAR is made up of approximately 70 volunteers, and both Hoekstra and Acton said the new facility will be much more accessible and efficient for the current members, and could also entice others to get involved and work out of the new building.