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SAR Profile

Safety precautions minimize cave rescue incidents

Caves take thousands of years to develop, but it takes only minutes to become disabled or lost in one. They are one of the most beautiful natural formations in the world, but they also contain significant hazards and can become a dank, dark confusing mass of passages and dead ends.

Being unprepared for a caving adventure can lead to problems, and even the most experienced cavers have difficulties. Hypothermia is a major problem ill-equipped cavers experience, as the temperature in many caves hovers around 1C.

Proper clothing, equipment and supplies can prevent misfortune. A caver's equipment should include a suitable helmet with chinstrap, 3 reliable light sources, adequate clothing and boots, a first aid kit, whistle, penknife, batteries, self-rescue equipment and extra clothing.

Phil Whitfield, Provincial Coordinator, BCCR

For safety, caving groups should be no fewer than three people, and for the conservation of the cave and for good communications, no larger than eight, says Phil Whitfield, Provincial Coordinator of B.C. Cave Rescue. The best way to experience caving is with one of the country's established caving organizations, most of which are accessible through the website.

The British Columbia Response

British Columbia has established a rescue coordination group, called the British Columbia Cave Rescue (BCCR) organization. It is recognized by the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) as the lead agency for cave rescue in B.C.

Formed in 1984, B.C. Cave Rescue is a volunteer operation supported by various memorial funds, training seminar and registration fees, as well as private donations. But B.C. Cave Rescue volunteers don't work alone. The group operates under a 1992 memorandum of understanding with PEP, the RCMP and the B.C. Ambulance Service.

"The most common accidents in caves are not usually caused by cave-ins themselves, but by a caver falling, being hit by a falling object (usually single rocks) or problems with equipment," says Mr. Whitfield.

Cave-ins, or large volumes of rockfall, do occur, but very rarely. When they do happen, they seldom cut off retreat from a cave completely.

BCCR is capable of responding to cave emergencies anywhere in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The primary cave rescue equipment cache is located at Campbell River (North of Comox), with secondary caches at Kamloops and Prince George.

Mr. Whitfield says rescues are usually the result of "twisting, dislocating or impacting body parts in the irregular passageways, or from rocks dislodged by another party member."

BCCR is capable of responding to caving emergencies anywhere in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States and trains cavers and SAR members for two types of rescue situations.

The first situation is self-rescue, where the caving party rescues an injured member of their own group.

"This capacity is important because it may take considerable time to summon help and for suitably prepared outside help to arrive at the accident scene," says Mr. Whitfield.

The second situation is a formal SAR response, or the "cavalry" riding to the rescue, as BCCR likes to call it.

The SAR response is initiated when the accident has been serious enough that only outside assistance will be sufficient in getting the injured person out.

Mr. Whitfield recalls the 1992 accident in Arctomys Cave, in B.C. that involved an extensive use of resources.

At 522 m deep, the Arctomys Cave is Canada's deepest cave and the 1992 rescue required 110 individuals, from cave rescuers to surface rescuers. There were approximately 30 cave rescue personnel on-site, as well as surface SAR support, the participation of the RCMP, Parks Canada, B.C. Parks and others.

Although the majority of their training focuses on extrication, BCCR also trains for searches even though they have had a limited number of cases involving cave searches.

The members of BCCR are well trained and have week long training seminars in cave rescue organization and techniques every July in even-ending years, like 2000, 2002, 2004 and so on. As well, they have annual regional small party self-rescue weekend workshops.

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