Stolen B.C. search-and-rescue gear recovered, 2 bags still missing

A Coquitlam Search and Rescue vehicle is seen on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017.

Two volunteer search-and-rescue teams whose gear was stolen last week following a successful rescue near Chilliwack, B.C., have recovered some of the stolen equipment, though two bags are still missing.

The gear was reportedly taken after searchers located a missing seven-year-old girl on Friday afternoon. When the rescuers returned to the field where their gear had been left, they discovered it had been taken.

• Read more: Search and rescue team has gear stolen after finding missing 7-year-old girl in B.C.

The search team, which included members of both Coquitlam Search and Rescue and Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue, filed a police report about the missing equipment, adding hours to what had already been an exhausting and emotional day, said Chilliwack Search and Rescue president Greg Unruh.

“It certainly was very disappointing,” he said. “The three team members that had their stuff stolen, it’s heartbreaking for them.”

One of the team members had left his car keys in his pack, Unruh said, adding such bags typically include basic equipment, extra clothes and personal items.

“Our personal packs can range anywhere between $2,000 to $5,000 worth of equipment and stuff, depending on what was in there,” he said. “It’s pretty custom to yourself, and some of that stuff is – money can’t always replace it.”

In an update posted to social media on Monday, Coquitlam Search and Rescue said the RCMP had located two of the missing packs – one belonging to a Coquitlam SAR member and the other to a Ridge Meadows SAR member.

The post said two stolen bags are still missing.

In the wake of the thefts, a GoFundMe page raised nearly $10,000 to replace the stolen gear in less than 24 hours.

The fundraiser has since been put on hold as the province’s Emergency Management and Climate Readiness program stepped in to replace the equipment, according to the Coquitlam SAR group.

Unruh said the community support for the fundraiser is heartening, and Chilliwack SAR will use the funds – if donors provide permission for them to be diverted – to cover any expenses EMCR doesn’t reimburse, as well as to fund its operations.

“Thank you to the RCMP for their ongoing work on this case,” the post concluded.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday