Members of Coquitlam Search and Rescue have been dispatched to the Terrace region of British Columbia to aid in the search of a missing filmmaker from Ohio.
Warren Andrew Sill was in the area to make a documentary about the Spirity Bear when he disappeared on July 4.
Five members of the local team have joined the effort, scouring the area for any sign of the 26-year-old, who searchers say could still be alive.
"He might have just hurt himself," said Jim Delgrande, a search manager with Coquitlam SAR. "They are still treating it as a rescue. The weather has been pretty benign. If he had a layer of clothing he could be just fine."
The crew members heading north will bring a range of skills to the search, he added. They are strong mountaineers with rope rescue training and swift water training and one is a former resident of Terrace and has significant knowledge of the area, said Delgrande.
"Between the five of them they have a lot of skill," he said. "They are very fit people who can navigate and take care of themselves."
He added that it is not uncommon for search and rescue operations to call on members from other jurisdictions to assist in larger searches.
Sill, who police said is not a seasoned outdoorsman, had told his family and friends that he would be exploring the area for four to five days.
Police have also joined in the search, bringing in RCMP police dog services, ATVs, a helicopter and a number of volunteers to search the vast, dense wilderness.
"Our search for Andrew Still continues as we try to cover as much ground as possible including aerial search with the assistance of a helicopter," said RCMP Const. Lesley Smith, the North District media relations officer. "The fact that this young man is not an avid hiker and he is not familiar with this terrain, is very concerning."
