North Shore Rescue has another busy weekend, despite plea to hikers to be prepared
Posted September 28, 2015 7:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH SHORE (NEWS 1130) – Stretched to the limit, North Shore Rescue had another busy weekend after a string of operations last week, part of what has been a record year of call-outs for the team of volunteers.
You can forgive team leader Mike Danks for a hint of exasperation as he talks about having to go to the media yet again to plead with hikers to be better equipped when they hit the trails.
“It comes down to educating them on how to prevent these types of calls. A lot of these are for people who don’t have adequate equipment or haven’t done the proper research into the hike they are doing,” he tells NEWS 1130.
“Allow ample daylight and make sure you bring the 10 essentials, including some extra clothing.”
At the point of exhaustion, volunteers with North Rescue — who often pull off complex wilderness rescues and then head off to their regular jobs — likely won’t get a break any time soon, with predictions for a mild fall.
Over the weekend, Danks publicly challenged Premier Christy Clark to meet with him to talk about solutions, including possibly paying search and rescue volunteers to be on standby.
