‘Disappointing’: Salt Spring Island SAR members’ vehicles reportedly vandalized

SALT SPRING ISLAND (NEWS 1130) – Several thousands of dollars of damage has reportedly been done to the vehicles of search and rescue volunteers on Salt Spring Island.

It appears vandals struck Tuesday evening, when Search Manager Jason Grindler says the team was training.

“While we were in the hall training to practice, to help respond to local community emergencies, searches, and rescues, some of our members’ vehicles were vandalized while parked outside of our search and rescue hall,” he tells NEWS 1130.

“There is damage from being keyed along the whole side of the vehicle to what appears to have been somebody stepping and walking across the hood and roof of several vehicles.”

He says the damage has been reported to the RCMP, but adds there doesn’t seem to be any video surveillance in the area,

Grindler admits this kind of behaviour is a tough blow.

“All of our members are all volunteering and taking the time away from their families, their friends, to come and to practice and prepare for our next response, and for that to happen is just really disappointing,” Grindler says.

While this type of thing is frustrating, Grindler says the community is normally “fantastic.”

“They really support us significantly. To see something like this happen is, like I said, very disheartening. But we’ve had lots of comments of support from the community at large, so hopefully we can find who’s responsible for this.”

The group is looking to speak with anyone who may have seen anything suspicious near the SAR hall between 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Any witnesses are asked to get in touch with Grindler by email at jason.grindler@ssisar.org or by phone at 250.221.0789.