PRESIDENT & FOUNDING MEMBER

Steve has been with the program since the beginning. He is a rescue technician and has saved dozens of people over the past eight years. Steve is a millwright by trade and works as a manager for Sleeman Breweries. Steve also has the dubious record of being left behind in the wilderness the most often of any of the crew! What Steve loves about the program is the ability to help people in their time of need. One of his most memorable missions was rescuing a family of three from a cliff area north of Kamloops.

VICE PRESIDENT & PARAMEDIC RESCUE TECH

Jim has been a paramedic for the past twenty years, working as an Advanced Life Support Paramedic for British Columbia ambulance paramedic for the past twelve years. Jims background includes teaching and mentoring new paramedics and working with Abbotsford Fire Department as a volunteer. Jim has been with the AR1 program for the past five years, helping to save people throughout the Thompson Okaganan. Jim’s most memorable rescue was in Crawford Falls. A young person had fallen at the base of a waterfall, inside a deep narrow ravine. Jim, working along his crew members, Central Okanagan SAR, and Kelowna Fire Department, worked to stabilize the patients injuries and winch them up to the helicopter for transport to hospital.

CHIEF PILOT & DIRECTOR

Dave has an unrestricted airline transport pilot helicopter licenses in both Canada and USA and has over 23 years of aviation experience on a multitude of helicopters. He is a Transport Canada approved check pilot and has been the Chief Pilot for two different helicopter operators since 2010. Over his career he has developed, conducted, and evaluated multiple pilot training programs including hoisting. Since 2005 he has been involved in helicopter hoist operations in both Australia and Canada consisting of insertion and extraction of able bodied and critically injured persons. One of Dave’s most memorable hoist rescues was for an injured hiker in a deep narrow canyon. The tight canyon, and extreme winds that day, created for an exciting time maintaining the hover while the hoist operator inserted the rescue technician beside the river. The hoist went as planned, and the entire team felt a great sense of accomplishment, as the patient was transferred to hospital. The ability for Dave to contribute his experience as a helicopter pilot in reducing rescue times, compared to conventional ground methods, keeps him wanting to help.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR, SECRETARY & FOUNDING MEMBER

Gavin has been the Medical Director with the AR1 program since its start in 2014. His background is in family practice, sports medicine and wilderness medicine. Along with his time with AR1, he has also been the medical director for Silver Star Mountain from 2010 till present. Gavin is committed to AR1 because of the need for our services, the shared dedication and commitment of all of our members, the fulfillment of being a part of an incredible and important program and team, and the opportunity to give back to my community. Gavin, who in the past also worked as an AR1 crew member, has several notable rescues that he has taken part in. The first involved the traumatic arrest of an adolescent in our local mountains close to Christmas many years ago. While we were not successful in resuscitation, we were able to start the closure process for the family and bring the young person out of the mountains. Gavin’s other memorable call involved a middle aged snowmobiler, father of two young children, who suffered a potentially fatal heart attack in a remote mountain region. The AR1 crew was able to perform a hover landing, diagnosis the patient, medically stabilize, and then transfer the patient to hospital. The patient was able to receive an emergency angioplasty that same evening, Gavin visited patient next day in Vernon CCU who understood that we saved his life and was forever grateful.

TREASURER & FOUNDING MEMBER

Lynne brings decades of small and medium business management to AROHWS. Her background is in management of downstream petroleum and construction companies. She is a passionate supporter of the Air Rescue One program and the community that it serves. She believes in the AR1 rescue platform because it allows people to be rescued in a timely manner, at no cost to themselves. These rescues can mean the difference between life and death. While ground rescues can take hours, the AR1 team can complete the rescue in minutes.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PARAMEDIC RESCUE TECH, PAST PRESIDENT & FOUNDING MEMBER

Jeremy has been working in mountain rescue for the past twenty years and has been with the Air Rescue One Program since its start. Jeremy is an Advanced Life Support Paramedic, Avalanche Forecaster, Rope Rescue Team Leader, and Swift water Technician. Jeremy has formerly worked for Mt Norquay Ski Resort, Silver Star Ski Resort, Canadian Mountain Holidays, and the Alpine Club of Canada. He was also been fortunate to be a former board member of Avalanche Canada and volunteers with Vernon Search and Rescue since 2009. Jeremy is currently an ALS Paramedic with British Columbia Ambulance Service and the Executive Director of AROHWS. One of his most memorable rescues was rescuing a fallen climber at Skaha who had hit the ground and suffered a serious head injury. Working with PENSAR, the crew was able to save the patient and see them make a full recovery.