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Social media as a tool for Search and Rescue (SAR) has become increasingly valuable. SAR teams can communicate with the public and media via their social channels to provide information and updates. Social media is being used to garner tips from the public to aid in searching for lost persons and has helped North Shore Rescue and other SAR teams on various occasions narrow the search area.
There is also huge value in raising awareness and providing educational tips to the public via social media. Education is part of our mission — and this is done through presentations, traditional media, and now social media. SAR teams, AdventureSmart BC, and Avalanche Canada all use social media to provide safety tips and condition updates for the public.
As we enter this year’s winter season, we plan to continue using social media, and particularly Facebook, to engage with the public. Facebook posts have an extremely broad reach and are very efficient at amplifying and distributing our message and interacting with our followers.
We are asking our friends, fans, family, and followers to help us grow our Facebook subscribers by encouraging them to invite their friends to like our page located here.
You may also notice that NSR is amplifying or promoting our Facebook page. The advertising dollars and time spent on the campaign are donated by the Major Tom Agency — so no funds donated to NSR are being used for these sorts of campaigns.
Since the ‘Facebook Like Drive’ campaign started two weeks ago, we have grown our Facebook fan base by almost 10% and now have 15,000+ page likes. Our goal is to reach 50,000 page likes by the end of the ski season (which is an ambitious goal).
We need your help to achieve this goal as it cannot be done through advertising alone. Please invite your adventurous and outdoorsy friends to like the North Shore Rescue Facebook Page
Also, please consider following us on Instagram and Twitter as we share news updates, photos, and videos on these channels as well.
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The more followers we have, the faster we can share information that may aid in getting the tip that points us in the right direction and allow us to find someone lost. And at the very least — we can keep you updated on our searches and will provide some useful safety tips.
Finally, if you are in an area outside of the North Shore and Vancouver proper, follow your local Search and Rescue team’s social media accounts.
Here are a few Facebook pages of Search and Rescue teams that are around Vancouver:
- Coquitlam Search and Rescue
- Lions Bay Search and Rescue
- Surrey Search and Rescue
- Chilliwack Search and Rescue
- Hope Search and Rescue
- Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue
- Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue
- Mission Search and Rescue
- And a bit further out – Nechako Valley Search and Rescue
Go to www.bcsara.com/sar-groups/map/ – find your local Search and Rescue team and follow their social media accounts.