Helicopter pilot becomes local hero in rescue mission in B.C.

Times have called for desperate measures in the lower mainland in British Columbia recently.

Several families and animals have been stranded in certain areas with nowhere to escape due to the mass flooding.

Through these tragic times, the helicopter community in B.C. has gone into these areas to help as much as possible.

Helicopter pilot Russ Cmolik is a chartered professional accountant and former president and chief operating officer of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. He was part of the massive team that went into different areas to rescue people.

“We started getting calls for anybody that owned a helicopter,” Cmolik told Gormley.

Cmolik did the majority of his trips near Hope, B.C., a smaller area near Abbotsford.

“Everything at that time was centred in Hope,” he said. “Numerous people (were) trapped with various issues.”

With a bird’s eye view of the horrendous scenes in B.C., Cmolik wanted to help out as much as possible.

It took multiple trips in and out of the area to try and rescue people in a safe manner.

“My first trip in, it was amazing to see the number of aircraft operating in that little valley,” Cmolik said. “The people there were all respectful, everything was controlled, (and) the safety was paramount.”

Cmolik travelled to Hope in his aircraft, and then made rescue trips back and forth to Abbotsford.

One of the top helicopter training facility areas in Abbotsford was used as the destination to make trips.

“My first trip in was to extricate a family, and they had a dog,” Cmolik said with a laugh.

However, it wasn’t as easy as taking one entire family on board in one trip.

“We had to take several trips back and forth because we’re weight limited and you’re balancing your fuel,” Cmolik explained.

The trips continued to take place for two days, as Cmolik started bringing in things like milk for those who had to wait their turn.

Looking back now, there’s a level of gratitude for being part of the large rescue mission that took place.

“It’s a privilege to be a tiny little part of it,” Cmolik said.