It has come to the attention of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) that a TV commercial called #BraveTheCold – When the Rockies Turn Blue | Coors Light Canada has recently begun airing on YouTube and TV.

#BraveTheCold focuses on the thrill of adventure in association with Coors Light Canada and includes ‘going out of bounds’ as a ‘good decision’, which is a complete contradiction of BCSARA’s safety message and prevention programs.

The Coors Light Canada messaging raises a high level of concern amongst BCSARA Board of Directors and search and rescue prevention educators. We encourage outdoor enthusiasts to ‘get informed & go outdoors‘ and consistently promote outdoor safety trying to reduce the number and severity of SAR incidents in Canada.

While BCSARA recognizes that social media is created for education and entertainment purposes, we would like to remind the public that depiction of disobeying safety signage and area closures, ducking the ropes to go out of bounds and not wearing appropriate safety gear is not recommended or encouraged.

Having the proper training, skills, safety equipment and knowledge before going in the backcountry is critical to personal safety and self-rescue.

BCSARA has 80 SAR groups in the province with 2500+ unpaid professionals providing, incident response, public education, prevention programs and awareness of ground and inland water search and rescue. BC has over 1400 SAR incidents each year and through community outreach, media and SAR prevention programs we are trying to help reduce the number and severity of SAR incidents throughout the province.

For more information please contact BCSARA Media:

media@bcsara.com

http://www.bcsara.com/

@BCSARAssoc

604-295-7074

Learn more about SAR Prevention:

http://www.adventuresmart.ca/

@AdventureSmart