Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue (BUSAR) is a volunteer-driven disaster response organization committed to providing life-saving assistance in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. Composed of experienced firefighters, paramedics, and technical rescue specialists, our team is trained to respond to some of the most challenging rescue operations locally and internationally. Whether navigating collapsed buildings after an earthquake, responding to communities devastated by hurricanes, or assisting with flood relief, BUSAR remains dedicated to ensuring that people in crisis receive urgent and professional rescue support when they need it most.

Unlike government-funded emergency response teams, BUSAR operates independently, relying on grassroots funding and donor support to sustain its missions. This independence allows us to respond rapidly without bureaucratic delays, ensuring aid reaches affected communities immediately. Our specialized expertise in urban search and rescue, drone-assisted reconnaissance, K9 search operations, and technical rescue makes BUSAR an invaluable asset in disaster relief efforts. Our team has been deployed to numerous large-scale disasters, including the High River floods in 2013, the Nepal earthquake in 2015, the Abbotsford floods in 2017, Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019, the Türkiye earthquake in 2023, and Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica in 2025. Each mission has reinforced our commitment to providing highly trained personnel and cutting-edge rescue techniques to save lives and support affected communities.

What makes BUSAR unique is that we operate as both a technical search and rescue team and a humanitarian organization — most teams are one or the other. We are set up to be first in, conducting welfare checks, clearing access routes, performing large-area assessments using drones and search dogs, and passing critical information up the chain so that the right resources reach the right communities as fast as possible. We operate within a network of humanitarian NGOs capable of delivering field hospitals, medical evacuation, food and water distribution, and logistics support — and our role is to open the door for all of it.

Beyond disaster response, BUSAR is deeply invested in building international preparedness capacity. Through our participation in Tradewinds military exercises — Barbados in 2024, Trinidad and Tobago in 2025, and Antigua in 2026 — we provide hands-on training in technical rescue, structural collapse response, and advanced rope rescue to first responders in disaster-vulnerable nations. We also supply modern rescue equipment to departments that lack access to the tools needed to protect their communities. These engagements build lasting relationships with first responders and military partners across the Caribbean, creating a network of trained, better-equipped teams that are more capable of protecting their communities when disaster strikes.

BUSAR has also invested heavily in advancing our search and rescue technology. Our drone program now includes advanced platforms for aerial survey, thermal imaging, and confined space operations, allowing our team to survey disaster zones, locate survivors, and assess structural damage faster and more safely than ever before. Combined with our K9 teams, seismic listening equipment, and fibre optic search cameras, BUSAR brings a level of technical capability that few volunteer teams anywhere in the world can match.

With your support, BUSAR can continue equipping first responders, training life-saving teams, and providing emergency relief where it is needed most. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, we rely on generous donors to sustain our operations. Every donation helps us enhance disaster preparedness, deliver crucial training, and ensure our team is ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Disasters don't wait, and neither do we. Your contribution helps us build stronger, safer communities — here at home and around the world.