North Okanagan residents have come to expect that members of Vernon Search and Rescue will drop everything during an emergency.

But imagine what would happen if the volunteer unit wasn含羞草研究社檛 there? Who would spend hours looking for lost snowmobilers in the backcountry? Who would help look for a missing child or someone who fell off a boat? Who would help the RCMP gather vital evidence during a case?

The same could be said of the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue based out of Kelowna.

The North Okanagan, and communities across the province, benefit directly because of the civic-minded spirit of SAR volunteers.

含羞草研究社淲ithin ground search and rescue there are roughly 100,000 hours of volunteer time donated to searches (provincewide). To replace these would cost more than $5 million annually in direct salary dollars,含羞草研究社� said Todd Stone, B.C.含羞草研究社檚 transportation minister.

That含羞草研究社檚 why the government含羞草研究社檚 announcement of $10 million for SAR training, administrative support and equipment upgrades is welcome news.

It will take considerable pressure off the units which have largely been left covering the costs of their own activities. Instead of fundraising, more time can be directed towards training and ensuring equipment is in top condition.

However, while Victoria含羞草研究社檚 assistance is positive, it含羞草研究社檚 only one-time support. Yes, it含羞草研究社檚 $10 million but it won含羞草研究社檛 go far among 80 units, particularly given the expense of equipment.

As Stone pointed out, the SAR volunteers save all of us about $5 million a year. If we had to pay staff for search duties, it含羞草研究社檚 unlikely the service would exist. One-off funding is great but more needs to be done to ensure the long-term viability of our search and rescue teams.