Search and rescue volunteers will soon be getting some financial assistance to help pay for their equipment costs.
Tuesday's federal budget included a provision that will see volunteers who accumulate enough hours each year with search and rescue organizations receive a tax credit.
"We volunteer time away from work and away from our families," Prince George Search and Rescue president Jeff Smedley said. "A little bit of recognition from the government, it's going to be greatly appreciated."
Smedley said a basic search and rescue pack, which includes items like a coat, boots, rain gear and a compass, costs about $500. The bill adds up even quicker when volunteers add specialized gear, like swift water equipment or rope rescue devices.
"If I have my own swift water set, it's $2,000 every five years," Smedley said.
There are also annual fees that volunteers need to cover, like securing licences for their radios.
According to Prince George KPMG tax partner Stan Mitchell, the 15 per cent credit would work out to about $450 a year for the volunteers.
The new tax credit is similar to one offered to volunteer firefighters in the 2011 budget. Smedley said search and rescue groups will have to carefully track their training time to ensure they meet the 200-hour minimum required to meet the tax credit threshold, but added the Prince George group already has a record-keeping system in place.
Basic training for a search and rescue volunteer runs about 100 hours and there is ongoing annual training to ensure members keep up their skills. The Prince George group averages about 25 calls a year, including local search and rescue operations and mutual aid calls in other parts of the province.
Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer advocated to have search and rescue personnel included in the tax benefit plan and received credit for the idea from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
"These volunteers give countless hours to help those in need at their own expense, and this tax credit will help defer those costs," Zimmer said.
