One Sparwood man is included among six Public Safety Lifeline volunteers who are being recognized by the Provincial Government for their contributions to emergency and disaster response around B.C.
Ed Ehrler, a long-standing veteran of Sparwood Search and Rescue, received the Public Safety Lifeline Volunteer award for search and rescue.
“Ed has spent the last 15 years as manager of Sparwood Search and Rescue, contributing hundreds of hours to search and rescue missions both locally and regionally,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “He is also valued for his troubleshooting technical repair abilities with ambulances and emergency units.”
Ehrler said his dedication to search and rescue comes from his upbringing.
“My dad was the assistant fire chief in Sparwood, so I kind of grew up around the fire department and the emergency response in general. I love being in the outdoors and I thought I might be able to help somehow. So, I got involved in search and rescue back in 2005, and started learning new skills and doing new things and getting new experiences and getting more involved.”
Ehrler spoke of a particular rescue operation that still stands out to him today.
“I think it was sometime around 2006, there was a little three-year-old girl, her parents woke up and she was missing from the house, nobody knew where she was. We were called out, and we got some other search and rescue teams as well, we had quite a large search going on,” said Ehrler. “As the day progressed, I ended up actually personally finding her in a field not too far from her home and I carried her back. That’s kind of stuck with me for all these years. It got me hooked on search and rescue for years to come.”
The B.C. Government said the winners are a select few among thousands of volunteers who serve in a variety of different public safety roles.
“These Public Safety Lifeline volunteer award winners are shining examples of the dedication and selflessness at the centre of emergency response in British Columbia,” said Farnworth. “These are the people who ask for no recognition, but instead leave their families, their friends, their homes and their own lives at any time of day or night, regardless of weather, to help others in their time of need. These are people who demonstrate the best that British Columbia has to offer, and I want to sincerely thank them for their commitment to public safety and their service.”
A full list of the 2020 recognition winners include:
- Emergency Support Services – Roline Sims, Kamloops.
- Search and Rescue – Ed Ehrler, Sparwood.
- Radio Communications – Les Dawes, Shawnigan Lake.
- PEP Air – Lynn Van Cadsand, Smithers.
- Road Rescue – Don Hunt, Kaslo.
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Judy Hagen, Heriot Bay.
“Public Safety Lifeline volunteers demonstrate a selfless commitment to the safety of B.C. families and communities during emergencies. There are more than 10,000 Public Safety Lifeline volunteers in British Columbia. Last year, they responded to more than 9,000 incidents,” said the Provincial Government.
Ehrler expressed his gratitude for the award, which he said he didn’t know about until Wednesday morning, the day the recipients were announced.
“I’d like to say thanks to everyone who was involved in nominating me. I have no idea who they are, but it’s great to know they think that highly of me. Thanks to my fellow search and rescue volunteers in Sparwood and across B.C. and the East Kootenay for everything they do. It’s a vitally important service to people in B.C. and its great to be a part of,” concluded Ehrler”