The 2nd annual Bimaajitoon Search and Rescue (S&R) Family day weekend Polar Dip was an icy success.
Jordan Pennington, Team Secretary, says he was delighted with how it turned out. Not just because of all the people who showed up for the event, but also how excited and generous everybody was.
He says the teams have grown exponentially, from four teams last year to a dozen on Monday, which he calls unbelievable.
According to the team’s Facebook page, the event raised just under $3,000, which Pennington says goes towards the team, to support their operations.
The event saw teams get their go at submerging themselves in the icy lake next to the Carling Community Center over the weekend.
“So I spent the full two minutes [in the ice water]. We capped it at two minutes so I made sure I got to the bitter cold end,” says Pennington. “Everybody stayed in from a quick little dip in and out and checked it off their bucket list to [staying in] the full two minutes. Some people went in twice, so hopefully, people got that spark to maybe do it next year,”.
He says this year there were a couple of cool costumes, with teams even making t-shirts. “The enthusiasm that people had for the event means a lot,” Pennigton adds.
As for next year, he says the S&R team is already hitting the ground running with planning.
“Hopefully, we can get the sauna back from Killbear Marina, and maybe have a fire pit down there with some music and some games and stuff. Making it a wider spread and larger event for the whole day and then the Polar Dip would just be kind of the main event to watch,” he says.
According to Pennington, the money raised goes towards the S&R team, to support their operations.
“Anytime we get called out we need to be responsible for making sure everybody’s fed and has refreshments because sometimes our call-outs are for multiple days,” he says. In addition, the team is changing out crews regularly to make sure that they’re being taken care of, as well as providing them with any gear that may be needed.
“So radios, communications, our computer programs, vests, compasses, and everything that you need to support a search. And then it also goes towards events like the annual Polar Dip in the future. So it’s just continued growth of the program and just some training as well,” he says.
Pennigton says the team is comprised of about 40 to 50 volunteers, split between two; the people who are support staff right now and looking to get trained and then about 20 or so trained members that are able to deploy on a search whenever requested by the OPP.
“We’re always looking for new members,” he says, adding that anyone interested can contact the team to attend the next training session and then eventually get the certified training that makes them a full-fledged member.
The SAR team is about two to three years old right now, launching in 2020, and had its first two callouts in the last year. Unfortunately, Pennington says, COVID set the team back a little bit but they’ve again hit the ground running with enthusiasm from the group and a lot of support from the townships and fire departments in the area. Pennington thanked everyone who came out this year for the polar dip, adding “it’s just it’s so so great to see so many people and then hopefully everybody next year and if not more,”.