Established in 1996, Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais – Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue (SBO-OVSAR) is a federally incorporated, charitable, volunteer-based search and rescue organization serving the Outaouais and Eastern Ontario regions. Our mission is to assist individuals and communities by providing quality search and rescue and search management services; public education programs to help people enjoy the outdoors safely; and assistance to communities during emergencies.

Our team is made up of community volunteers from varied backgrounds, bringing with them a wealth of skills, expertise and experiences. With over 250 members, SBO-OVSAR can rapidly deploy highly trained search and rescue volunteers at the request of any police authority or emergency services. Our team trains in the following disciplines:

  • Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) techniques
  • Navigation using GPS, Map and Compass
  • Wilderness First Aid and techniques for extracting subjects from remote areas
  • Radio Communications including “Ham” or Amateur Radio
  • Outdoor Skills (not quite “survival” skills but along those lines)
  • Human Tracking
  • Search Management
  • Incident Command System (ICS)

The team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to calls in both urban and wilderness environments.

SBO-OVSAR also offers Adventure Smart programs to help people enjoy the outdoors more safely:

  • Hug-a-Tree – for children, focusing on what to do if you get lost
  • Survive Outside – for adults, covering planning and preparing for outdoor activities, including the essential equipment people should carry with them
  • Snow Safety – for children (10 to 12 years old), covering the Alpine Responsibility Code and backcountry hazards

Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais – Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue (SBO-OVSAR) is a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency and can provide income tax receipts for charitable donations.