Community Outreach: Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert Port Invests in Ground Search and Rescue Society Equipment Renewal

Photo/Prince Rupert Port Authority

People exploring Prince Rupert’s wilderness can feel safer knowing local responders are better equipped than ever for an emergency.

The Prince Rupert Ground Search & Rescue Society (PRGSAR) is the latest beneficiary of the Port of Prince Rupert’s Community Investment Fund, receiving $52,500 towards its comprehensive revitalization project. The project centered around the purchase of new training and response equipment that will allow PRGSAR to establish an incident command post and outfit each of its 16 volunteers with required response gear.

PRGSAR is a volunteer organization with the mission of providing professional emergency management for terrain and inland waters in the Prince Rupert area. Its active members conduct more than 2,500 hours of annual training and have provided rescue response to multiple incidents in the past two years. PRGSAR members also provide youth safety education and training sessions through engagement with the local school district.

"Volunteers play such a vital role in maintaining and improving the quality of life we enjoy in this community. Providing help with their efforts is an important way we reinvest the profits of our operations," said Port Authority President Don Krusel. "Hiking, hunting and foraging play a large role in the lives of many in our communities, and Prince Rupert Ground Search & Rescue is a primary organization involved in ensuring their safety should something go wrong. Outfitting these volunteers with the tools they need to perform this service is a project we’re proud to promote and support."