Search and rescue calls soaring during COVID-19
Pandemic's pull and unpreparedness key factors in surge in incident numbers
Record numbers of Albertans heading into the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies have driven up the number of search and rescue operations during the pandemic, say first responders.
Those pressures have forced taxpayers to ante up millions of dollars more to cover the costs of bringing people to safety, said the province.
Seeking outdoor relief from COVID-19 restrictions during 2020 led to the busiest year on provincial Crown land, with 5,394,168 visits to Kananaskis Country, a 24 per cent increase over 2019, said Alberta Parks and Environment.
That's more visitors than Banff National Park hosted last year.
And it resulted in 433 calls for assistance to Kananaskis Public Safety in 2020 — 35 per cent more than the previous year, a trend that's continuing in 2021 as the pandemic rages on.
“In the first three months of 2021, the K-country team has responded to 63 calls,” the department said in an email.
“This is compared to 39 calls for the first three months of 2019 and 43 for the first three months of 2020.”
The numbers reflect mounting numbers of people inexperienced with the hazards of Alberta's mountainous terrain testing their luck, say those tasked with tracking them down and bringing them to safety.
“The biggest reason is people not being prepared or not having that situational awareness, not knowing how dangerous it could be,” said Monica Ahlstrom, president of the Search and Rescue Association of Alberta.
The association's own numbers mirror those of the province, with 364 calls in 2020 — a 27 per cent increase over 2019.
The biggest increase occurred a year ago during the first round of COVID-19 restrictions, as Albertans were itching for an outdoor release while being discouraged from travelling outside the province, said Ahlstrom.
“We saw a huge spike in the beginning of (last) year,” she said, adding Alberta is second only to B.C. in the number of search and rescues conducted annually.
When restrictions were looser up until this week and the weather colder, those numbers dropped, but with a reversal of both of those factors now, “we're expecting to be busier … we're going to see what we saw last year,” said Ahlstrom.
In less-accessible parts of the mountains, such as in Alberta's central Rockies, search and rescue numbers aren't as high, despite larger numbers of people flocking into them, she said.
“There's been a huge increase of visits to the west here but the actual incidents could have been significantly worse,” said Ahlstrom, who lives in Nordegg, 300 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
Among the most serious incidents last year was a string of multi-fatality drownings, said Ahlstrom.
For the past year, RCMP and provincial officials have expressed alarm at the number of people crowding hiking and climbing trails and picnic areas. Authorities responded by imposing parking bans on highways leading to them.
In a statement, Alberta Environment and Parks also said lack of preparedness has played a role in the greater number of emergency calls, with the pandemic's pull another factor.
“Even experienced hikers, bikers, climbers and boaters can get into trouble if they're not prepared or if they're venturing to terrain that's too challenging,” it stated, adding the province is responding by beefing up its staffing.
“Alberta's government will have more boots on the ground — including conservation officers — supporting public safety, enforcing the rules and protecting the land,” the department said.
Those safety pressures have also contributed to a $5.5-million increase in the department's budget this year.
“This increase in public safety calls does increase government costs for equipment, supplies and staffing to conduct search and rescue operations,” the statement said.
Many of Ahlstrom's volunteer teams are feeling the strain of the onslaught of emergencies, with the severity of the incidents often leading to post-traumatic stress.
“They have the stress of being busy and the technical teams have the strain of (not being able to do) training during COVID-19,” she said.
“They anticipate a very busy summer.”
The association of 1,200 active volunteers, she said, runs on a budget of $150,000 in provincial grants, with much of the rest from internal fundraising, RCMP reimbursements and equipment being supplied by members, she said.
“There is an acknowledgment that we need changes and more support for search and rescue,” said Ahlstrom.