Members of Kelowna's RCMP, fire department and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue were standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the Canada Day Emergency Operations Centre in the city's downtown when the alert came in that a young man had gone missing.
Duane Tresnich with the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) was among those working at the emergency centre when the young man was reported missing. The man, who has Down Syndrome, was last seen downtown enjoying the Canada Day festivities with a group of people. After being unable to locate the man in the crowds, his family became concerned for his well-being and contacted the RCMP for help at approximately 3:30 p.m.
RCMP were immediately dispatched to patrol the streets, while COSAR put a call out to its volunteer members to help with the search.
"We worked really well together," said Tresnich about the inter-agency emergency response.
As 12 members of COSAR gathered in the rain downtown to begin the search, good news was reported, the young man had been found.
An RCMP officer found the man downtown at about 4:37 p.m. and helped him to reunite with his loved ones.
COSAR has responded to approximately 49 calls so far this year, and Tresnich said he expects the summer to be even busier.
"We're like a Swiss Army Knife, we do a little bit of everything," said Tresnich.
COSAR responds to a variety of calls from high-angle extractions requiring ropes, to back-country rescues, searches for missing people, and in-water recovery missions, explained Tresnich.
To learn more and to donate to the volunteer-based organization visit cosar.ca.