News Releases

Vernon RCMP request assistance to evacuate female in medical distress from the Enderby Cliffs. After a request by Vernon RCMP and Vernon SAR, Penticton and District Search and Rescue paged out their HETS Team shortly after 3:00 P.M. to assist Vernon Search and Rescue evacuate a female hiker from the…

West Kelowna residents in the Smith Creek area were witness to a late afternoon Helicopter rescue. PENSAR Hets (Helicopter External Transport System) team was scrambled shortly after 2:00 PM after a request by BC Ambulance Service and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue to assist in a medical evacuation in the…

Penticton & District Search and Rescue concluded their search by 2:30 PM Sunday July 19th, 2015 after a 2-day search failed to find any evidence of possible overdue hiker(s). Kelowna RCMP had initially responded to a complaint late Friday (July 17th, 2015) evening that campers in the Van Hyce Beach…

Sunday Sept 20th Busy evening for South Okanagan SAR Teams Two separate tasks which were launched only hours apart late Sunday afternoon brought together the Civilian Air Search and Rescue Unit along with PENSAR and Oliver Osoyoos Teams to coordinate search and rescue efforts. The First call came in at…

PENSAR Search manager - Dale Jorgensen was called by Victorias' Emergency Coordination Centre shortly after 0930hrs as an advance alert to say the PENSAR's HETS team may be activated to respond to an event developing in Manning Provincial Park. The rescue event started with Princeton RCMP calling out Princeton Ground…

Oct 9th - BC Ambulance mobilizes PENSAR’s Helicopter Rescue and South Okanagan SAR ground teams to evacuate injured hunter in Ashnola River Valley BC Ambulance and Keremeos RCMP were alerted around 11:00 A.M. today that a 39 yr. old male who was hunting with a group of 3 others near…

PENSAR evacuates injured hiker in Three Blind Mice hiking area At 12:30 P.M. - Penticton Search and Rescue responded to a request by local BC Emergency Health Services after a report of injured hiker in the Three Blind Mice (Naramata) hiking and biking area. PENSAR immediately sent a 2 person…

Dale Jorgensen – President for Penticton and District Search and Rescue reflects backs on 2015 “this was one heck of year for PENSAR”. Jorgensen who has been with the Team for over 8 years states that 2015 was a year of accomplishments and rewards. “ Our team which was formed…

Dale Jorgensen President of Pensar said " we sure got a shock today". Our team came to the hall at 8:00 this morning to get set up for training and found that two of our search and rescue trailers had been broken into. Thieves made off with a 1000 watt…

A silver lining came out of the theft from Penticton and District Search and Rescue (PENSAR) last weekend. Story by Penticton Western News: A break-in occurred overnight on Oct. 24 at the rear compound at 251 Dawson Avenue. Two trailers secured in the compound which belong to PENSAR were also…