Two days after plucking a man from the frigid waters in Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park on Saturday, Dec. 12, Nick Rivers is definitely 鈥渇eeling it鈥� on Monday.
鈥淚鈥檓 doing alright. Sore, but it comes with the territory,鈥� said Rivers, search and rescue manager of Arrowsmith SAR and a Parksville business owner.
Rivers rappelled into the raging Little Qualicum River to rescue a man who was 鈥渃linging for life鈥� to a log between two waterfalls. According to Rivers, the entire operation took 25 to 30 minutes to complete and the rescued man was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
The reception from the general public that Rivers received following the rescue has been all positive. He mentioned that since 6 p.m. yesterday, media inquiries have poured in, and he jokingly said he is 鈥渉aving a hard time keeping up with the fame.鈥�
Rivers did not that being in the public鈥檚 eye does 鈥渂ode well鈥� for the Arrowsmith SAR鈥檚 current fundraiser for their new hall, saying that 鈥渢he attention couldn鈥檛 hurt,鈥� but he didn鈥檛 want to push the agenda. The group has asked for public assistance with the $1.2-million project, with member Stuart Kirk telling the the call volume has doubled over the last decade.
Typical rescue operations by Arrowsmith SAR throughout the year are predominantly on land, locating and rescuing lost hikers. Rivers said that water rescues only happen 鈥渙nce or twice a year鈥� and that Saturday鈥檚 rescue was the first for 2020.
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The rescued man has yet to reach out to Rivers, but he has learned the man is 鈥渘ow doing OK.鈥�
Rivers鈥檚 advice for the public is to pay attention and to keep safety at the forefront during outdoor expeditions, and that 鈥渞isks tend to be fairly obvious.鈥�
According to their website, the Arrowsmith SAR coverage ranges from Cook Creek to Lanztville, to the east end of Cameron Lake to Jedidiah and Lasqueti Islands.
Rivers said he鈥檚 been involved in some 鈥減retty intense rescues鈥� in the past, but he can鈥檛 say that he鈥檚 experienced anything 鈥渢hat intense鈥� before.
BC Search and Rescue Association treasurer Jim Harrison said 鈥渢he outcome could have been quite a bit different.鈥�
鈥淚n this case there was the anchorage there for the ropes, properly trained members that were trained in both rope rescue and swift water. If they were not available or if that site had been further away from their equipment and access鈥� the team on-site might have made the decision not to go into the water.鈥�
With winter rescues, Harrison said there are a number of safety considerations to take into account.
鈥淲ater temperature requires extra gear to ensure that members don鈥檛 get hypodermic,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd especially on the Island, with increased rain during the winter months, water levels can fluctuate. When water levels are high, log and other debris can wash down as well, which is always a major concern when in swift water.鈥�
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