Thursday Saskatoon’s Search and Rescue President presented the highlights of the past year to the Board of Police Commissioners, which included adding 14 new searchers to the team.

Joel Karstens said last year volunteers donated a collective 8600 hours of their time to the cause. SSAR is a highly trained, completely volunteer entity. In 2022, SSAR members volunteered 1850 search hours, which is 2.5 times as many as their second highest year.  Several searchers also completed their Advanced Wilderness First Aid certification, increasing their ability to care for subjects in rural settings.

Karstens specifically highlights the Project Lifesaver Program, which has been running since 2018.

Project Lifesaver participants wear a band that emits a radio frequency, and if a participant wanders, SSAR members use the signal to locate the missing person. In 2022, SSAR fitted 16 new participants with locating bracelets, bringing the total number of past and active participants to over 100.  Last year all Project Lifesaver calls resulted in positive outcomes.