ASSINIBOIA — Tracey LaGasse, a member of Wood River Search and Rescue since inception, says the organization will celebrate their 25th anniversary May 2 weekend.
LaGasse tells the Assiniboia Times and SASKTODAY.ca, “On Oct. 31 1999, Tony Reid from Moose Jaw drowned at Thomson Lake during a sudden freak storm. The Gravelbourg and Lafleche Fire Departments did well to search the shoreline at the time, but they decided they wanted more training. This resulted in contacting SARSAV (Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers). The first training locally was held on April 1 of 2000.”
The 25th anniversary will be celebrated in conjunction with the end of Missing Persons Week in Saskatchewan, April 27 to May 3.
“Marking this milestone will include two events. First, we are holding a virtual Window Display contest, which is open to anyone interested, regardless of location. We encourage individuals and businesses to decorate a window or create a display marking Missing Persons Week with a focus on this year's theme, "Coming Together For Hope," then sending a picture of the display with contact information to [email protected] no later than 6 pm Saturday, May 3rd,” acknowledges the local Search and Rescue group.
Secondly, the Wood River SAR will be holding a public Walk of Remembrance in the Town of Gravelbourg on May 4, starting at the Fire Hall at noon and progressing to the courthouse and back. Everyone is invited to attend and walk with this dedicated group of volunteers.
“We invite everyone to attend and walk with us. For those with missing family members, we encourage them to bring pictures of their loved ones and carry on the walk, and to dress in orange (our SAR colour provincially). Anniversary cake will follow,” says LaGasse.
Initially, the membership was mostly from the two fire departments, but recognizing those two groups have huge training commitments already, they had to eventually back away.
“We did go through some years with very low membership, but have been steadily increasing in strength over the last 15 years,” affirms LaGasse.
Wood River Search and Rescue includes 25 dedicated volunteers
This southern Saskatchewan Search and Rescue Operation currently includes 25 members. Of this 25, two are search managers, two are team leaders, there are 19 searchers and two members in training. Members say this chapter is always evolving
The Wood River SAR notes that with recreation areas becoming busier each year, many visitors are unaware of specific hazards of some of these areas, such as lack of cell coverage or GPD signal, or vast distances between isolated communities, along with the lack of access to services.
“The primary area that we serve is south-west and south-central Saskatchewan; however, some of the searches become province-wide callouts, and that means we could be called to go anywhere in the province. We also have an agreement for mutual aid with SAR groups in southeast Alberta,” says LaGasse.
The Wood River SAR has members in Gull Lake, Shaunavon, Admiral, Ponteix, Vanguard, Melaval, Shamrock, Coderre, Moose Jaw, Regina and Gravelbourg.
“We are very spread out, but when you consider that we are one of the few chapters in the southern part of the province, we do our best to ensure getting response to where it is needed.”
Training is important for search and rescue organizations
The SAR organization says they usually run one searcher course per year, which includes a minimum of 40 hours of in-class and field study. In addition to that session, they try to run a short training session every month to six weeks throughout the year, except during summer and the Christmas season.
“There are also several provincial training courses that our members participate in, such as Incident Command System (ICS) and Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART).”
Wood River SAR was activated on three searches in 2024, and the group says they are thankful they have not had any calls yet in 2025.
“2022 was, by far, our busiest year with eight callouts, including three in our immediate area. It was also our busiest year provincially, with many large-scale searches including the search for a 5- year- old on Red Earth Cree Nation.”
LaGasse continues with the Assiniboia Times interview, saying their organization is funded entirely through donations and fundraising efforts.
“We have put monies to use for training and equipment, including a command post trailer and Ranger to utilize on searches. A portion of our newest equipment, including PPE, compasses, and GPS units, was purchased through our provincial organization, thanks to us being awarded funds from the Proceeds of Crime fund. We also have a GPS-enabled communications equipment that was provided to SARSAV by a federal SAR New Initiatives Fund (NIF) grant,” says LaGasse.
“One of the things that brings many of us joy is what we do when we are not active on callouts - that is, prevention work. This is done through the AdventureSmart suite of programs designed to get people informed before they undertake outdoor activities. Paying attention to the 3 Ts - Trip Planning, Training, and Taking the Essentials - can mean the difference between an unplanned camping trip and a search emergency. Our most popular program is the Hug-a-Tree and Survive program, and several of our members are extremely active as Outdoor Educators for these programs.”
Anyone who would like to know more about Search and Rescue, including how to get involved, can contact this southern Sask search and rescue group via their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/woodriverSAR0 or by emailing [email protected]
Further questions can be addressed with the chapter’s President, Corey Ellis, at 306-472-7994
A founder of this organization, LaGasse says her SAR has been rewarding, even amidst its challenges.
“Searching, while physically exhausting and mentally taxing, also has its rewards - particularly when our teams (who all join together when called upon by our Authorities Having Jurisdiction) can bring someone home. Of course, the best possible outcome - that the subject is found alive and well - is always our greatest hope and reward. Even bringing closure to the loved ones of someone who is located deceased is a success in and of itself,’ says LaGasse.
