History Project Video Gallery

Introduction to the NSR History Project

In these video interviews, you will hear how NSR has evolved from its origins as a civil defense group into a modern, efficient ground and inland waters Search and Rescue (SAR) organization.

In its early years, NSR members were innovators for BC, playing key roles in the development of modern day standards now used in search and rescue operations. Their contributions include advancements in SAR management, training, and backcountry hypothermia treatment, as well as other innovations that continue to meet the growing needs of the field today.

NSR recognizes the dedication and vision of those early members who established the foundation for the team’s ongoing success. This video series documents the oral history of NSR’s growth and the individuals who contributed to its development.

Team Structure and Function

Team Structure – The Backbone of North Shore Rescue
The North Shore Rescue Team Society’s organizational or administrative structure has evolved over the years. The “purpose” of the NSRT Society is captured in our constitution, and the administration of the society is captured in our bylaws. This has enabled us to fundraise in addition to receiving the local and provincial government grants, to support a registered society with an annual budget of over $1M dollars. Society administration is kept separate from the operational organization that governs SAR field operations.
Team Leadership – Commitment, Sacrifice and Service
The Team Leader is the Chair of the Board (the team executive) and is responsible for monitoring the other Directors in the execution of their duties. This video shows how team leadership has become an almost full-time job, running what has become a million-dollar enterprise while facing the challenges of funding, recruitment, training, equipping, and providing a public face for the media”. Our team leaders have played an essential role in moving the team forward.
Life on the Team – Passion, Purpose and Pride
NSR volunteers are not merely individuals; they are family members, employees and close friends with each other. The Team only works when the bonds in these support systems are strong, and NSR takes great pains to enhance these ties through social events, spousal involvement and importantly by managing the inevitable stresses that are a part of SAR. NSR is truly a family.
Search and Rescue Training – The Foundation of Excellence
NSR has been instrumental in developing many of the training methods and manuals in use today throughout the BC SAR community. Each element of SAR requires its own training program to ensure rescuer safety and operational effectiveness. Of course, training needed to meet the requirements of modern SAR takes time and dedication. New members are offered a 2 year probationary period to learn necessary skills before acceptance as a full member.

Ground Operations

Ground Search Techniques – Pioneering Methods in the Field
Ground SAR certification is a requirement for all team members and involves a number of operational skills to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the search operation. Ground SAR is more than “boots on the ground” or simply walking the trails. It can involve human tracking skills, and use of detection equipment. NSR has been involved in field research into the effectiveness and development of various search techniques.
Mapping and Navigation – Guiding the Way to Rescue
From inaccurate paper maps to precise digital maps on smart phones and tablets, NSR has come a long way in navigating safely and efficiently through the mountains and canyons of the North Shore.
Drone Technology – A New Perspective on Saving Lives
The use of drones is a fairly recent development in the search arsenal. This platform allows searchers to venture into hazardous terrain, day or night, using conventional or infra-red cameras to locate a person in distress, a task which otherwise might have taken many hours on foot or expensive helicopter time to accomplish.
Urban Searches – Saving Lives Closer to Home
The team is frequently requested to help the police with urban searches for missing people. The complexities of the urban environment create challenges in searching for missing children and adults – some of whom may be unresponsive to the searchers calls and/or are actively evading detection.

Specialized SAR

Rope Rescue – Lifelines on the Edge
From hemp rope to the adaptation of modern climbing gear to meet SAR needs, NSR has become a leader in innovation. Extensive training in a variety of environments has made rope rescue a safe and effective method of extrication of injured people from difficult terrain.
Avalanche Rescue - Progress in the Face of Danger
The ability to forecast avalanche risk and to find and recover those buried in avalanches is an ever-increasing challenge as more and more outdoor enthusiasts venture into hazardous terrain. NSR has developed a forecasting function that is available to the public as well as the team to provide a level of safety not available in the past and trains extensively with beacons, probes and shovels.
Swift Water Rescue – Race Against the Current
Did you know that NSR had the first SAR SCUBA dive team in the province? This gave way to inner tube searching, then to the use of kayaks, and now full training and equipping of a certified swift water rescue unit; making this work far safer and efficient.
Medical Responses – From First Aid to Advanced Medical Care
NSR learned early on that basic first aid skills were not enough for the back country where seriously injured people needed a higher level of attention. The team first learned to deal with hypothermia, and with a transition from basic first aid, to use of BC Ambulance paramedics, to full advanced medical support, the team has now brought the hospital to the patient. This has greatly improved patient survivability.
Search and Rescue Dogs – A History of Heroes and Handlers
A trained dog’s superior sense of smell gives it an advantage over most highly trained human searchers. Dog handlers must be tuned to the dog’s capabilities and limitations and be able to communicate with the dog to pick up clues and be effective.

Air Operations

Air Operations – Reaching New Heights in Rescue
NSR has come a long way, from having practically no air support in the early days to where it is today; utilizing the latest and safest in helicopter SAR techniques. This has given NSR unparalleled capabilities to deal with local emergencies and also to serve as a resource that can be called upon from anywhere in the province and beyond.

Logistics and Other Support

Rescue Equipment – From Simple Tools to Life Saving Innovations
NSR has grown from civil defense ropes and ladders to modern equipment to support all SAR functions. The need for the safety of volunteers while carrying out operations is paramount, requiring that all equipment be certified and subject to appropriate training by SAR members.
Rescue Vehicles – Driving the Team Forward
From a modified bread truck to a fleet of vehicles, NSR has expanded to meet new needs for transportation, command and communications.
Rescue Infrastructure – Expanding the reach of Rescue
NSR has gone from a single operational base to several SAR stations spread across the North Shore mountains, and has established several equipment caches deep in the mountains to aid in the rapid deployment of needed resources.
Rescue Communications – How Technology Connected the Team
NSR started with no field communications, meaning that field crews were literally on their own when dispatched into the field. Today, the team has modern radio equipment including remote repeater stations to provide guaranteed radio coverage throughout the North Shore mountains. Modern cellphone technology and SOS devices which allow accurate locations and information have also made the team more efficient in the rapid response to SAR calls.

NSR in the Community

Rescue Partnerships – Uniting to Save Lives
NSR is typical of all BC SAR teams; being embedded in a family of community partnerships that connect SAR with local municipalities, other SAR teams, and various government agencies such as police, fire, ambulance, and Coast Guard. These partnerships are vital to the funding and other support systems needed for the effective operation of this community service and to the rapid deployment in times of need.
Funding Rescue – The Community Behind the Team
Starting in 1965 with virtually no outside funding, NSR has evolved into a million dollar a year enterprise; requiring major funding support from a number of community sources. The valuable service that NSR provides to the community has attracted the financial assistance from individuals, service organizations, the corporate sector, and the local municipal governments.
Rescue in Focus: Media, Message and Mission
The media play an important role; providing a platform for the dissemination of the team’s public safety information and maintaining a human presence to the public.
Education/Outreach
Many calls for assistance are the result of people being inadequately prepared or equipped, or are the result of people deliberately ignoring instruction or warning signs. NSR has been increasingly proactive in a number of ways to provide safety information to the public to keep them safe, and eventually to limit the number of calls for assistance.

Our Video Production Partners

Phase 1 of the NSR History Video Project began in 2019 and was filmed, edited and produced by Rob Brandreth-Gibbs of Bravo-Zulu Productions. Rob was a former member of NSR who unfortunately died days after completion of the project. These original videos are dedicated to his memory. and now reside in the NSR archives.

Phase Two of the NSR Video History Project began in 2024. Interviews were filmed and produced by a team from Baird Television Associates (Douglas Baird, Rob Kelly, Dave Stewart, Rick Bennett, Norm Thompson and Barry Kaiser). Editing and post production was co-ordinated by the exceptionally talented Rob Postma of Scrapbook Films who integrated these interviews with material from the Bravo Zulu video series and extensive video and resource materials supplied by Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer of Silvapark Films from their ‘Search and Rescue North Shore’ series which aired on The Knowledge Network, and from Pat Bell of Red Wagon Productions, a long-time friend and colleague of NSR.