Mike Coyle, an important part of the Search and Rescue community, was found unresponsive on a Squamish mountain bike trail. Photo: Coquitlam SAR//X
An important member of the British Columbia Search and Rescue community passed away after he was found unresponsive while mountain biking on a trail in Squamish, BC.
Mike Coyle was a volunteer manager with Coquitlam SAR who received a Governor General of Canada Sovereign Medal for Volunteers in 2019. In 2014, he was awarded the Coquitlam SAR’s Rollie Award for Excellence, which came after 15 years of service.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden loss of Mike Coyle yesterday while mountain biking,” Coquitlam SAR wrote on X. “Having started with us almost 27 years ago, he leaves a lasting mark on our team. He will be dearly missed. RIP, Mike.”
Search and Rescue groups in BC are full of unsung heroes who work tirelessly throughout the year.
“In any given year Search and Rescue groups in BC respond to nearly 1,000 incidents involving over 1,300 missing (lost) or injured persons,” Coyle explained in a recent interview with Outdoor Vancouver. “Our 2,500 unpaid professional volunteers, located in more than 80 BC communities are available day or night. Together these men and women donate over 100,000 hours of their time on callouts annually, and an astounding 95 percent of subjects were found or rescued within the first 24 hours of a volunteer SAR group being activated.”
According to his partner, Sylvia Fuller, Coyle was carried out by members of the Squamish Search and Rescue.
“Thank you to Squamish Search and Rescue for carrying him out and taking care of our dog,” Fuller wrote on social media. “We are shattered.”
Coyle was well-known in the hiking community for his online advice that helped keep would-be hikers safe. “He was very generous by taking time to explain important concepts to hikers of all levels,” wrote one Reddit user. “By reading his blog, we can learn a lot about SAR in BC, hiking, but also about a kind person and someone that is passionate about improving SAR. He engaged in conversations with SAR experts around the world.”
Coyle’s contributions to saving lives didn’t stop at the physical realm, either. He was also a software developer who created TrueNorth Geospatial, a general purpose mapping tool used by several SAR teams. Coyle’s impact on his community and to the countless strangers he helped rescue from dire situations cannot be understated.
