Chelan Mountain Rescue Receives $7,200 Grant from GESA Credit Union

GESA Credit Union has made a sizeable donation to Chelan County Mountain Rescue through its Local Heroes Grant.

Shawn Ballard, co-owner of Ballard Ambulance, is a member of the local rescue outfit and says the group – which saves dozens of lives every year – is entirely volunteer.

“It’s a group that’s fully dependent on donations to operate and we have a lot of equipment that is needed to rescue people like ropes and litters.”

The grant award will provide $7,200 to Chelan County Mountain Rescue, and Ballard says the group already knows what most of the money will be used for.

“It’s going to go a long way to help us. One of the big issues we have in mountain rescues is communications. We don’t have radio repeaters or any other technical assistance in really remote areas. So we’re going to purchase some higher-tech radios so we can have a good chain of communication out there.”

Ballard says some of the largesse might also be used for training.

The personnel at Chelan County Mountain Rescue is comprised largely of technical rock climbers who can assist those in distress in areas that many others cannot access.

GESA’s Local Heroes Grant provides funding to organizations which that assist people in jobs like firefighting, law enforcement, healthcare, and education, as well as veterans.