STARS hosts community leaders in search and rescue training fundraiser

Thursday wasn’t a typical day at the office for Saskatoon business leaders as they were airlifted from the city to a remote property outside of Saskatoon, where their survival skills and search-and-rescue knowledge were put to the test.

"We lifted off from the Nutrien STARS base in Saskatoon, we had no idea where we were going, and when I asked last night, they said we were going up," said Kendra Wack, one of the participants.

Participants practiced creating SOS signals, inspecting aircraft, and responding to emergency rescue scenarios.

John Froh, Chief Medical Officer at STARS, explained the activities.

"The participants had to walk around the aircraft and identify things that were perhaps out of place. This is something our pilots do during each mission—identify issues and rectify them. Then we had participants create an SOS sign," said Froh.

The event, known as "Rescue on the Prairie," is a fundraiser for STARS, a service critical to Saskatchewan. The organization relies heavily on fundraising to maintain its operations.

"STARS was built by the community for the community. We fundraise more than half of our annual operating budget, so events like Rescue on the Prairie today are immensely important," Froh said.

STARS primarily serves rural and remote locations across Saskatchewan, providing essential care to critically ill and injured patients.

"We've performed more than 10,000 missions over the past decade," Froh added.

This year’s fundraiser surpassed its target, raising a total of $500,000 and counting to support the life-saving service.