When a rescue becomes a recovery: Family Day at North Shore Rescue

Last year North Shore Rescue had its busiest season ever with 144 calls to save lost and stranded people on Vancouver's North Shore. Team Leader Mike Danks agreed to share this personal story about how one of the team's most recent rescues affected the families of the victims and the team members involved. 

The call came from the North Vancouver RCMP on Family Day as I was finishing my last bite of breakfast with my wife and three daughters.

I could tell by the tone of the dispatcher's voice this was a life-threatening emergency. Two men had been hit by an avalanche on Runner Peak near Mount Seymour. One was clinging to a tree and his friend was missing.

I gave my wife the nod that means I'm leaving and won't be back anytime soon. I thought of the other members of our team doing the same and how this would be affecting their families too.

Lessons from Tim Jones

This was dreadful news given the weather on the North Shore. The avalanche danger was high and a low cloud cover shrouded the area. In the back of my mind, I was worried that it was going to take a lot of time and tax the team. Thankfully, the holiday meant we had more members available.

When North Shore Rescue (NSR) gets called out, the beginning of the search is always the most challenging. Our late leader Tim Jones ingrained in us that we should never be caught off guard.

From the start, the conditions were not favourable for a ground response. Visibility was terrible, the snowpack was unstable and avalanche debris was seen throughout the area. We had to make the tough decision to stand down the ground search that morning. 

Families show up 

By then, families of both men had shown up at our Seymour Search and Rescue (SAR) station. One family was aware that their son was up there clinging to a tree while the other knew only that their son was missing, adding another layer of complexity and emotion to the operation.

At the station, the families were met by one of our senior members trained in critical incident stress management. He was able to explain why we were in a holding pattern. On one hand, we were doing everything possible to access and rescue the men, but we had to ensure that our members were not put in grave danger themselves.

This is always frustrating for our members who want nothing more than to rush into a scene and provide help.

As the day progressed, we were able to fly a team towards Runner Peak. As we exited the helicopter and unloaded our skis and equipment, the cloud layer began to lift providing a bird's-eye view of the man clinging to a tree on the snowy mountainside.

We had begun to approach from the southwest, when the entire snowpack we were standing on "whomphed". This sent chills down our spines, because that sound meant the snow was collapsing and could trigger an avalanche.

At this point, we decided instead to attempt an aerial longline rescue of the man clinging to the tree. This would reduce the risk of avalanche. In short order, he was rescued and brought to our Bone Creek SAR station, cold but unharmed. 

For the next few hours, we continued to loo​k for the missing man presumed buried in the debris. But the search was called off when darkness arrived. We planned to resume the search as soon as conditions improved.

Family arrived with shovels

On Tuesday morning, I walked the kids to school and went for a long walk to decompress from the previous day's operation. But I got a call from Mount Seymour saying the missing man's family had arrived with shovels wanting to hike to the site.

I told the family I was on my way there to talk with them. On the drive up, I began to prepare myself to tell them things were not looking good, and that conditions were too treacherous to resume the search.

I felt terrible that they thought we were not doing enough and realized I should have given my number to them on Day 1. I take full responsibility for my mistake.

The family was standing on the porch of the SAR station when I arrived. I could sense their desperation as I approached. I told them I was incredibly sorry for the situation they faced.

Once inside, I explained the challenges we faced accessing the site by ground, the avalanche danger and the weather issues. I explained how seriously we took this situation and that we had done everything within our power to save her son. I wanted them to understand that we did not give up. 

I shared pictures of the site with them. We spent the day just sitting and supporting each other. We talked about next steps when the weather improved. RCMP and victim services were incredibly supportive.

'A profound effect on every person'

By Day 3, conditions had dramatically improved. The skies cleared and crews were able to move into the area using probes and the dogs. The family returned to the SAR station on Mount Seymour. The member who met them on Monday was onsite to provide support, along with victim's services. They provided continuous updates to the family and friends maintaining a vigil.

The missing snowshoer's body was soon located. Team members carefully transported the remains back to our SAR station. On behalf of NSR, I want to express our sincerest condolences to the Michalowski family for the loss of their son, Remi.

I think it is important for everyone reading this to know that this has a profound effect on every person involved. We want nothing more than to bring everyone home safe and sound. In some circumstances, this is just not possible. This was one of those situations. The best we could do was to provide closure to the family.

As a volunteer organization, we also need to be very aware of the effect this has on our responders. We need to ensure that we look out for each other and constantly check in. 

I used to think that I was immune to feeling emotion after these situations. But I have realized that I do bring these things home to my own family. I have had to learn to  deal with those feelings. For most of us, this is not the first situation we have dealt with like this and it won't be the last. 

I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who took part in this operation from start to finish. I am incredibly proud of this team.