One of the things that makes Squamish such an amazing and unique community is its incredible level of volunteerism. From the dedicated group that donate their time to organizing and running the Test of Metal every year, to the folks at Pearl's Seconds and the new used bookstore on Cleveland Avenue - plus countless others - Squamish just wouldn't be such a vibrant place without those people who do it all for nothing.
While it is without a doubt noble and admirable to give your precious time to any of those worthy community endevours, it's doubly so when you're also putting your own life and well-being on the line at the same time, as happens with local volunteer firefighters and Squamish Search and Rescue (SSAR) members.
Not only do these brave and selfless local men and women risk life and limb for the benefit of Squamish's citizens for no remuneration, but they also have to be available to do so practically 24/7. That means these folks have to drop whatever they're doing - watching the game on TV, hanging with their families, celebrating special occasions, etc - and hoof it out to some tragedy or disaster in the middle of the night on treacherous terrain or other dangerous situation, because they feel they owe the community in which they live and want to give something back.
SSAR has answered so many emergency calls this year - as recounted in our coverage on page A1 this week - the organization has become the busiest search and rescue group in the entire province. Obviously, responding to an ever-increasing number of incidents is going to start taking its toll on the 50 or so local volunteers who comprise SSAR, not to mention the organization's funding, which comes mostly from donations. So, the rest of the community needs to do its part as well, because let's face it, in a place like Squamish with so many adventure sports, either you, or somebody you know will likely need SSAR's aid one day.
They need our help now. All you have to do is click to squamishsar.org from the safe comfort of your own home and help fund the serious and much-needed work they do every day because even heroes need a little rescue every now and then. - Steven Hill
