It didn't take long for Arrowsmith Search and Rescue to get its first callout of the year.

When a vehicle went off the road and into the Little Qualicum River the morning of Jan. 4, ASAR was asked to respond by Oceanside RCMP to make sure everyone had made it out.

鈥淚t was right side up, fortunately, because the person was able to get out,鈥� said search manager Ken Neden, who added police wanted to confirm no one remained trapped in the car. 

ASAR lowered a swift water rescue member to the point where she could sure the vehicle was empty, he added.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 difficult for us by any means," Neden said. "There鈥檚 definite hazards there with the steep slope leading down into the river, and there鈥檚 the potential to get swept away, but the position of the vehicle and where we were able to set up on the side of the road made it quite safe to get our member down and get a look in.鈥�

Coombs-Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department took care of traffic control and had to shut down one lane.

ASAR has seen its call-outs double in the last decade or so, Neden said, with 85 calls in 2024.

鈥滾ast year was actually our busiest year ever,鈥� he said. 鈥�10 years ago it would have been 30, maybe 40 would have been a busy year.鈥�

ASAR racked up 5,700 person hours on task last year, in addition to 221 training sessions, good for 9,164 person hours.

The number of calls varies from year to year, he added.

Common incidents ASAR responds to include missing children, injured hikers and people with dementia who have gone missing, he said.

They also work closely with Alberni Valley Rescue and have a regional helicopter hoist and fixed line team with Alberni, and completed a number of mutual aid calls last year, according to Neden.

One of the most memorable responses of 2024 was when a hoist team was sent to the Shawnigan Lake area to assist with a badly injured person. 

鈥淲hat we never ran into before was, there was a forest fire down there and the pilot had to get special clearance," Neden said. "Because they had closed that area because the aircraft fighting the fire were using Shawnigan Lake to fuel up.鈥�

The pilot wanted to ensure he had clearance to go into that area, he added.

ASAR is looking forward to approval from the provincial government to use drones in their rescue operations.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been wanting that for a long time,鈥漀eden said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e purchase some drones now.鈥�

Drones can be a big help and save time during rescue scenarios. An example is if ASAR is searching for someone in a river with a high bank, members can use a drone to ascertain where to have the rope team descend from, rather than set up and have to correct.

鈥淭here have been instances where, say a helicopter couldn鈥檛 fly, but we would have been able to drive there, put a drone up and have a look,鈥� he added.

ASAR will have a drone-use training session in a couple of weeks. 

They have a number of drones of different sizes and capabilities, Neden said, including one with a thermal sensor, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 gonna be a big help.鈥�

ASAR has a couple of "ultra-light" drones, which weigh less than 250 grams. Others are larger and can operate in windy and rainy conditions.

They are planning a fundraising campaign this year to buy a large drone that, among other advantages, has a better zoom on its thermal camera.