About Us
Our Team
Kent Harrison Search and Rescue is an unpaid volunteer organization with an average of 25 trained members.
Its primary function is that of a community resource to assist the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the British Columbia Ambulance Service and the British Columbia Coroners Service and Fire Departments in a variety of search and rescue functions.
2020 A record year!
2020 was a record-setting year for Kent Harrison SAR, with 68 incidents over 80 operational periods. COVID19 was largely to blame for the unusually high call volume. Travel restrictions caused many BC residents to 'staycation', with many more than usual choosing to recreate in the backcountry. Sadly, the calls included three fatalities.
In 2020 27 unpaid KHSAR volunteers spent a total of 5,744 hours providing the service. 2,566 hours were spent on incidents, 2,165 hours on training and 1,012 hours were spent on maintenance, repair and general administration.
The team responded to two incidents involving the delivery of evacuation advisories/orders during the flooding at Green Point and high water levels on the Fraser River during the freshet. Calls for mutual assistance and incidents on Harrison Lake also contributed to the high call volume.
The team recruited five new members. They are currently going through core training and we look forward to them becoming operational in the Spring.
A new Command Vehicle was put into service in April, replacing the older vehicle that was first commissioned in 2001. The new Command Vehicle has more advanced technology in mapping, incident command and communications. It also has increased capacity to tow the team's 20' logistics trailer. A new boat was ordered in November for delivery in June 2021. The 26' Silver Streak landing craft will replace the 38' Harrison Osprey and provide better access to shorelines, along with a heated cabin.
We would like to thank the District of Kent, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, the Fraser Valley Regional District, and our partner agencies and SAR groups for their support. But most of all, we would like to acknowledge the support of our families. We could not provide this service without them.
2021 A new response vessel
In late 2020, KHSAR commissioned Silver Streak boats LTD, to design and build a 26ft Landing craft. Completely constructed of Aluminum, with an extended heated cabin, powered by twin Yamaha 200 outboards.
This vessel will allow KHSAR to access most areas of land along Harrison lake.
Delivery was made in Late July 2021, the vessel was named "The Spirit of Harrison" and currently team training and trials are being completed. Offical launch will be announced soon...
Our History
Although originally formed in 1976, the team has only been receiving annual operating grants since 1991. Most of the team's equipment has been purchased through donations from community groups and businesses, as well as grants from the gaming policy and enforcement branch and the search and rescue New Initiatives Fund.
(National Search and Rescue
Secretariat)
Our Mission
Kent Harrison Search and Rescue, as a registered non-profit society, delivers a professional-quality search and rescue service to the community by developing and maintaining resources to safely, efficiently and effectively resolve incidents outlined in the risk assessment of the area.
We will conduct search and rescue missions when requested to do so by the authorized requesting agencies for lost or missing persons, or persons in distress in the province of BC without charge.
Our goal is to save lives.
