SSAR’s Vision: SSAR will be recognized as a leading search and rescue organization within Canada, responding to search emergencies and mitigating harm to search subjects. We will incorporate the latest technology and management systems, as well as effective training, to improve our capacity as concerned citizens and competent searchers. SSAR will be a sustainable charitable and volunteer organization with stable funding and an engaged membership.

For much of 2020, COVID forced us to modify our practices and protocols so we could continue to support our community by working together, while staying apart.

Any photos in this report which are indoors and without masks were taken before mid-March when covid restrictions came into effect.

In 2020, Saskatoon Search and Rescue responded to nine activations for missing persons; eight with the Saskatoon Police Service and one with the RCMP. In addition, we assisted our community with two non-search activations.

The 9 search activations included:

• 4 elderly with dementia
• 2 young children
• 1 teenager missing from group outing
• 1 despondent
• 1 adult with cognitive disorder

More than 650 hours were spent on these activations.

One of the more unusual activations was on November 8 when we provided support to EMO, Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department on the "stranded persons task force" during the first big blizzard of the season which brought record-setting snowfall.

We provided two members in the Tactical Operations Centre and had seven teams of two in various areas of the city.

Saskatoon Search and Rescue members worked past 2am checking and flagging abandoned vehicles, and helping people get unstuck.

Our agencies of jurisdiction were grateful for the support and SSAR's efforts were noted in several media stories the next day.

Towards the end of 2020, SSAR formalized the Operations Committee.

The purpose of the Operations Committee is to evaluate the performance of SSAR during activations or non-search emergencies and then make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the allocation and advancement of resources, development of training opportunities, and changes to both activation and field procedures with the aim of improving overall operational effectiveness.

We ended 2020 with 42 active clients and several requests are in progress.

Despite the growth in client numbers, we had only one callout for a Project Lifesaver client, a significant drop from last year when we responded 17 times.

This was a tough year for many of our PL clients and former clients. COVID restrictions kept many indoors, and many have experienced a significant decline in health and mobility. Several former clients have passed away.

We are grateful for their caregivers who took on the responsibility of battery changes or assisted our team in changing batteries without direct contact.

The year started with normal winter training, both outdoors and in the classroom.

In January, we learned about the relatively new Saskatchewan Critical Incident Stress Management (SaskCISM) program.

A new cohort of recruits were going through the screening process shortly before the COVID lockdown in the spring.

Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our dedicated trainers, the new searcher course went online in the fall. Several existing members joined the new recruits to share their experiences and to brush up on their own skills and knowledge.

Small group in-person training was held outside and new recruits shared their "homework" tasks through videos posted to SSAR member-only pages.

The twelve new recruits will complete their initial training in January 2021.

To minimize the risk of spreading COVID, most training was held outdoors. Members maintained a 2-metre distance from each other or wore masks during group training exercises.

Outdoor training was supplemented with a variety of navigation, GPS and map and compass exercises which members could complete on their own or with teammates via radio communication.

This year was a busy one for the SSAR K9 team.

Kate and K9 Jenga recertified in wilderness and urban search in Edmonton.

Despite the restrictions imposed by COVID, Saskatoon Search and Rescue members spent 2400 hours in training during 2020.

While the truck itself was purchased in 2019, the purchase of search and rescue tools and gear was made possible by the generous donations of additional donors in 2020.

The SSAR truck will be used to tow the Command Post trailer or the Logistics trailer to any search and rescue incident in the province.

With extra lighting, power supplies, towing capabilities and other custom additions, the truck will be particularly helpful in assisting searchers to access remote areas, in inclement weather, and at night.

We are grateful to the four major sponsors who made this project happen:

• Axon Development Corporation
• Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon
• Merlin Ford Lincoln
• Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation

There were also many private donations.

Thank you all for sharing our vision of serving our community.

Saskatoon Search and Rescue members are unpaid professionals who volunteer their time, skills and energy because they believe in SSAR’s mission and vision.

SSAR members volunteered more than 5600 hours for the betterment and safety of our community during 2020.

While many of our annual fundraising events were cancelled due to COVID, including our own Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival Tour, SSAR continued to receive wide-spread community support throughout 2020.

Prairie Mobile Communications also generously provided SSAR with a new power supply for our communications repeater when it was struck by lightning in the spring.

Other donations included hand sanitizer from LB Distillers and enough masks from the Canadian Tire Covid Fund that we were able to share them with other Search and Rescue organizations in Saskatchewan. We are also grateful for the honorarium we received for providing first aid at Meewasin skate parties at the start of the year.

In November, Search Dog Jenga's groomers, What a Mess Pet Grooming, held a special nail trim clinic and donated all proceeds to SSAR.

Almost $1000 was raised from community clean ups (EcoFriendly action grant and a Rubbish Roundup event in which SSAR was one of the charities that people could ask for a donation to be made to).

SSAR members spent several evenings scouring and cleaning up the riverbank, hauling out garbage and the remains of abandoned tent cities.

At Saskatoon Search and Rescue, we depend on the generosity of people, businesses and organizations who believe in what we do.