For its 30th anniversary the Fort George Highway Rescue Society (FGHRS) is considering painting its trucks hot pink, zebra print, anything to stand apart from the other first responders in the city.
On the surface they could easily be mistaken for a fire department or search and rescue crew. However, underneath the surface, they are among the most proficient and technically advanced automobile extrication specialists in Western Canada, responsible for round-the-clock coverage of an area roughly twice the size of Vancouver Island.
"We back up those volunteer fire departments around the region that have no rescue capabilities of their own, and we go to those places across the regional district where there are no rescue services at all," said FGHRS chief Keith Laboucan.
For victims of crashes - train, plane, cars, trucks, anything with wheels - they are the only ones coming immediately to help in often the worst terrain in this rugged region. Crashes tend to happen more in poor weather, too, yet this group of trained volunteers is at the ready.
"They are very special. I've been around enough to know that they are as good as it gets," said Peter Prendergast, senior regional manager for Emergency Management BC (Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General). He was at their hall for a tour and meetings with senior officials earlier in October. "Seeing that equipment they have, that spotless facility, and the pride in their faces, and looking at their records, this is a professional group by anyone's standards. Anybody would be proud to be part of Fort George Highway Rescue, and rightly so. They are on fire. They are the real deal."
Lack of public understanding doesn't hurt their feelings, but it does affect their income. As an all-volunteer crew that nonetheless has to be trained and equipped to the same standards as any professional unit, their bottom line is vulnerable. They are headquartered in the heart of the city (on Ospika Boulevard near 15th Avenue) for centralized response times, and the majority of the people they save live in Prince George, but they get no funding from the City of Prince George. Their only income is a $50,000 grant from the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, some reimbursements (vehicle mileage and equipment stipend) from the province when they are called to an incident, and whatever private donations they can gather.
"For 30 years it has always been a struggle for operational financing," Laboucan said. "It is a constant worry and it is hard on our members, never knowing how you're going to keep your doors open. Where's the money going to come from this month?"
It costs about $100,000 per year to run the crew, plus more to replace vehicles and equipment when it wears out.
"It's a huge benefit to the rural residents, and the service is there for whomever needs it," said Donna Munt, emergency services co-ordinator for the regional district. "The number one thing is, the entire regional district is covered by Highway Rescue because they have filled the void where there would be no coverage if they did not exist, and they also provide backup support for some of our other agencies, which is definitely a very valuable service to our regional district."
Prendergast said there are only about five such groups in B.C. that do comprehensive automobile rescue without the benefit of attachment to a volunteer fire department (VFDs have stable income from a tax base).
The 30th anniversary celebrations happen Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public is invited to a free open house at the FGHRS headquarters (Ospika Boulevard, across from the soccer fields). There will be refreshments, tours of the facility and equipment like the jaws of life, and at about noon they will cut a vehicle apart in a live extrication drill demonstrating what they typically have to do to save lives at a crash scene.
