Chilliwack Search and Rescue begins $1 million campaign for new building

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Thirty-five years later in 2021, CSAR had a roster of 45 members, a fleet of 14 vehicles, and responded to 121 calls for emergency assistance.

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“Our current facility is aging and too small to accommodate the training and equipment needs of the 2nd busiest SAR group in B.C.,” CSAR wrote on its website.

In an interview earlier this year, Tom Pearson with CSAR says the overall budget for the first phase of the building, which covers office space, meeting areas, and command space along with five drive-through bays, is $3 million.

“We are incredibly grateful to the City of Chilliwack who have graciously agreed to allow us to continue using the land the current building is on, given the lack of availability of alternative sites and the astronomical increase in commercial land costs,” Pearson said. “This was essential to making this project a possibility.”

In addition to the land agreement, the City of Chilliwack has also added $1 million to the budget over the next two years as well as giving the organization full endorsement for the project.

“It is our pleasure to be able to provide $1 million towards Chilliwack Search and Rescue’s new building project,” Mayor Ken Popove said in a statement supplied by CSAR. “Chilliwack City Council is grateful for the time and effort these volunteers put in to keeping residents and visitors of the region safe and we look forward to seeing their new building become a reality.”

Prior to approaching the city for support, Chilliwack Search and Rescue, as a team, has been saving funds, donations, task reimbursements and donating back volunteer expenses over the past 15 years to raise approximately $1 million for this project, Pearson said. That leaves the organization with a fundraising target of $1 million. It hopes to raise this amount before July 2023 as the build is planned to start in September 2023.