Central Okanagan Search & Rescue

Central Okanagan Search & Rescue Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Central Okanagan Search & Rescue, 4680 Old Vernon Road, Kelowna, BC.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) is a volunteer search & rescue team serving the RDCO, including Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Westbank First Nation, Big White and West Kelowna, BC, Canada.

08/20/2026

A huge thank you to the team at for hosting us for a shop tour last week!
We really appreciate their time, expertise, and willingness to collaborate closely with us to customize our boat build for our exact operational needs. Having a team that dials in the fabrication details from day one makes all the difference.
Excited to see this build take shape—stay tuned for updates as it comes together!

Early Saturday, COSAR was called upon to assist Penticton Search and Rescue in evacuating the City of Summerland.While e...
08/08/2026

Early Saturday, COSAR was called upon to assist Penticton Search and Rescue in evacuating the City of Summerland.
While en route, COSAR was informed that Highway 97 had been closed due to the fire, preventing the team from assisting. Within minutes, COSAR was instead tasked with supporting the RCMP in evacuating a large area of Peachland around Princeton Avenue. Together, COSAR and the RCMP successfully evacuated several hundred homes during the early morning hours.
A significant concern arose when a COSAR member stopped several people from driving into the fire. With Highway 97 closed, Google Maps was routing drivers onto the Summerland/Peachland Forest Service Road—directly into the fire area—in an attempt to reach Penticton.
COSAR strongly recommends following official road-closure information on DriveBC.

This morning COSAR, PENSAR and the RCMP continuing to evacuate additional residences along Westside Road. Please watch...
08/06/2026

This morning COSAR, PENSAR and the RCMP continuing to evacuate additional residences along Westside Road. Please watch out for our members on the road and follow the instructions being provided.

Last night, 21 COSAR volunteers responded to an RCMP and Okanagan Indian Band Fire Department request to assist with eva...
08/02/2026

Last night, 21 COSAR volunteers responded to an RCMP and Okanagan Indian Band Fire Department request to assist with evacuation notifications along Westside Road at the north end of Okanagan Lake. Crews worked through the night until approximately 8 a.m.
Today, additional COSAR members have deployed to help evacuate areas between the two active wildfires. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these devastating fires, especially those who have lost their homes or been forced to evacuate. Stay up to date at the Central Okanagan Emergency Management website

**UPDATE**Our K9 and ground teams have been stood down as of 1:30 pm todayOn Wednesday afternoon, COSAR was called out t...
07/30/2026

**UPDATE**
Our K9 and ground teams have been stood down as of 1:30 pm today

On Wednesday afternoon, COSAR was called out to assist RCMP with the evacuation of an injured elderly ATV rider in the hills above Peachland. Sixteen members responded, including the specialized medical team and the ATV/UT team. COSAR volunteers returned home by 10 p.m.
First thing this morning, the K9 team and two GSAR members headed to Salmo to assist in the search for a missing person who had been attending the Shambhala music festival.

SAR lost one of our true heroes yesterday
07/27/2026

SAR lost one of our true heroes yesterday

Today around 4 p.m., COSAR was requested by the RCMP to assist in locating a male who had left a care home in the Glenmo...
07/27/2026

Today around 4 p.m., COSAR was requested by the RCMP to assist in locating a male who had left a care home in the Glenmore area.
The subject had recently relocated to the facility and managed to leave the secured property. Staff searched for approximately two hours before contacting the RCMP, who then searched for an additional 90 minutes.
With several serious incidents occurring simultaneously in the city, RCMP resources were stretched thin and they appreciated the assistance of the 14 COSAR members who responded. We deployed drone, bike, ground search, and K9 resources in support of the search.
Fortunately, one of our members, while responding to the task, located the subject and safely returned him to the staging area. He was assessed by our first aid team before being transferred into the care of BCEHS.
~file photo

Some good advice from the AdventureSmart folks about recreating when the air quality is down.
07/24/2026

Some good advice from the AdventureSmart folks about recreating when the air quality is down.

We received a call around 7 p.m. last night to assist the RCMP in locating a missing male. More than a dozen team member...
07/22/2026

We received a call around 7 p.m. last night to assist the RCMP in locating a missing male.
More than a dozen team members quickly responded to the Sutherland Hills area behind Mission Creek to assist.
After a co-ordinated search involving our ground, bike and drone teams, the subject was safely located at 11:30 p.m.
Excellent work by everyone involved.

This afternoon, as temperatures hit 30 degrees, COSAR was called out for a medical rescue of an exhausted hiker in Okana...
07/19/2026

This afternoon, as temperatures hit 30 degrees, COSAR was called out for a medical rescue of an exhausted hiker in Okanagan Mountain Park.
We responded with 9 members using E-bikes and ATVs. The boat team had just finished their earlier assignment supporting the Across-the-lake swim, so we had them power over to Okanagan Mountain Park and they were safely extract the subject using our boat.
A few safety tips for anyone hiking in the park right now: we came across a rattlesnake in the area today. Stick to the trails, hike with a partner, and carry plenty of water in this heat.

Address

4680 Old Vernon Road
Kelowna, BC

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