Vancouver Rescue Leader Dies on Mount Seymour

North Shore Rescue leader Tim Jones passes away at Vancouver’s Mount Seymour.

A North Shore Rescue (NSR) press release on January 19 said, “Tim passed away on the trail on Mt. Seymour after completing team business at our cabin. We extend our deepest condolences to his family. We are very sad that have lost our tenacious leader who has done so much for this team and our community.”

The NSR Facebook page read, “Seymour patrol, paramedics, RCMP and firefighters all put in a massive effort to save Tim, but unfortunately he did not come through.” Details of what caused his death are not yet known.

Jones has a daughter and son, Curtis Jones, who worked on NSR with his father.

North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto said, “Tim was a hero, he did things for others, he was a dedicated hard-working individual.” Mussatto, also a paramedic said he was trained by Jones for the job, but they had been good friends as well as workmates over the past 30 years. The pair had hiked the Lions together.

North Shore Rescue had been on the mountain through the weekend teaching backcountry enthusiasts about avalanche safety. It is not clear whether he was involved in this training.

Jones had participated in more than 1,400 rescues in his 30-some year career. When asked by the Vancouver Sun in 2012 why he did it he said, “I like doing it, we train to do it.”

Jones was awarded the Order of B.C. in 2011 for his work with the NSR which is B.C.’s busiest team, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Capilano University in 2012.

Jones was a leader in the industry, advocating the use of helicopter-based long-line rescue and an area-wide communication system, and was in talks with North Vancouver District about getting cameras on some trails.

In the ongoing debate about whether people lost on the North Shore mountains should have to pay a fee to cover some of their rescue costs, Jones said consistently that there should be no fee, arguing that a fee might cause people to hesitate in seeking help, thus further endangering themselves.

Our rescue specialists across Canada are important people in our outdoor pursuits, they risk their lives to save ours.