Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS)

What Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS) does

Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS) is a non-profit umbrella organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Prévost, Quebec, that coordinates volunteer search and rescue groups from every region of Quebec. Its core activity is the rapid deployment of trained volunteer ground searchers, team leaders, search managers, and specialized canine teams at the formal request of police authorities (principally the Sûreté du Québec and municipal police services) to locate missing persons across forests, urban areas, disaster zones, rubble, and water. AQBRS maintains a three-tier certification framework — Ground Searcher, Team Leader, and Search Manager — aligned with national CSA standards approved in June 2015, and operates a 300-page canine search and rescue training program covering forest, avalanche, rubble, drowning victim, and human remains searches.

The association's primary offerings are training and accreditation services (including the AQBRS Training Manual version 1.4 and a canine team manual), the AdventureSmart national prevention program delivering free outdoor safety presentations to the public and to school children, and participation in the federal RSMUEL urban search and rescue program through its canine teams supporting the Montreal Fire Department. Underlying technical assets are limited to operational tools such as approximately 20 orientation beacons used for compass and GPS navigation training, standardized accreditation examinations verified by the Sûreté du Québec and approved by the Ministère de la Sécurité publique, and contributions to national CSA standards including drone-use norms (EXP15-21).

AQBRS's business model is donation-driven: it is a registered charity able to issue donation receipts, with public donations as its primary funding stream supplemented by corporate donations of equipment or discounts, and with the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec covering members for accidents and reimbursing deployment expenses when volunteers are mobilized at police request (though not when responding to family-initiated requests). Volunteer members typically self-fund their own training and equipment. The organization has 8 paid staff, more than 500 accredited volunteers, and is governed by a Board of Directors under President Guy Lapointe, who also represents Quebec search and rescue teams at the national ACVRS/SARVAC body.

Name

Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS)

Legal name

Association québéoqise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage

Website

https://aqbrs.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AQBRS is a Quebec-based non-profit founded in 2002 that coordinates over 500 accredited volunteer search and rescue personnel, deployed at police request across the province to locate missing persons in forests, urban areas, rubble, and water using ground teams and specialized canine units.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA), Mountain Safety & Patrol Services (Avalanche Training, Rescue, Medical) (THAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Volunteer search rescue
• Canine search teams
• Missing persons search
• Emergency response services
• Outdoor safety prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Prévost

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from the Public: The association relies primarily on public donations as its main source of funding. Donations are used for the promotion of AQBRS so that families of missing or distressed persons can learn about and benefit from the resources provided by member groups.
2. Corporate Donations: Businesses can contribute through donations of equipment, discounts on equipment purchases for members, or monetary donations.
3. Government Coverage for Operations: The Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec covers members in case of accidents and reimburses expenses when volunteers are deployed at the request of police authorities. This coverage does not include expenses when groups respond to requests from families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AQBRS is a non-profit umbrella association coordinating volunteer search and rescue groups across all regions of Quebec. It deploys trained ground searchers, team leaders, search managers, and specialized canine teams at the request of police authorities to locate missing persons in forests, urban environments, rubble, avalanche zones, and water. The association also delivers structured training, accreditation examinations, and public prevention programs (AdventureSmart).

Product overview

AQBRS is a non-profit umbrella organization representing volunteer search and rescue groups across Quebec. The organization does not offer a single software product but rather provides a portfolio of training programs, accreditation services, and prevention initiatives. Its core offerings include a general training manual for volunteer searchers, a specialized canine team training manual, and national competency standards developed with CSA Group. The organization also runs the AdventureSmart prevention program to educate the public on outdoor safety. All services are provided free of charge to volunteer members and partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Ground Search and Rescue Operations Deployment of certified volunteer ground searchers, team leaders, and search managers to locate missing persons in forests, urban areas, disaster zones, and water, activated at the request of police authorities.
• Canine Search Teams (Équipes canines) Specially trained canine teams deployed for urban search and rescue (USAR), debris search, human remains detection, and finding victims buried in rubble through partnership with the Montreal Fire Department under the national RSMUEL program.
• Volunteer Training and Accreditation Program Structured certification program for volunteer search and rescue members operating in Quebec, comprising three levels (Ground Searcher, Team Leader, Search Manager) aligned with CSA national standards.
• AdventureSmart Prevention Program Free public safety presentations teaching outdoor activity safety and risk prevention, including specialized programming for elementary school children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 44 AQBRS members successfully deployed to find a missing woman over a two-day operation in Montréal
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered significant, core and major.

• Groupe BellemaresignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Since 2017, AQBRS canine teams have benefited from the partnership of Groupe Bellemare of Trois-Rivières, which provides a training site adapted to the needs for training rescue dogs. Groupe Bellemare specializes in building demolition, transport, storage, and recycling of demolition materials.
• Association canadienne des volontaires en recherche et sauvetage (ACVRS / SARVAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015ACVRS represents most search and rescue volunteer groups across Canada. The National Search and Rescue Secretariat acts as a liaison with Canadian search and rescue organizations and all Canadian stakeholders. In March 2015, Guy Lapointe, current president of AQBRS, took over as representative of Quebec search and rescue teams within ACVRS.
• Ministère de la Sécurité publique du QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Since 2008, the Ministry of Public Security has taken over from the Sûreté du Québec for the oversight of volunteers in search and rescue. The ministry is responsible for accrediting volunteers and covers them in case of accidents during authorized operations.
• Sûreté du QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sûreté du Québec maintains order across the entire Quebec territory and is responsible for the majority of search and rescue operations. They are a major partner of the association.
• Service des incendies de la Ville de MontréalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWithin the national urban search and rescue program (RSMUEL), AQBRS canine teams provide specially trained teams for searching for victims buried in rubble to the Montreal Fire Department.
• Secrétariat National de Recherche et SauvetagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Search and Rescue Secretariat produces the Sarcène journal and provides national coordination for search and rescue efforts.
• AdventureSmartmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdventureSmart is a national program aimed at reducing the severity of incidents related to outdoor activities. AQBRS members deliver free prevention presentations including the 'Pour survivre, reste près d'un arbre' program for children.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Alberta Search and Rescue Association (ASARA): Provincial volunteer SAR association in Alberta providing ground search and rescue across the province. Comparable in structure (membership of volunteer groups, government partnership, training programs) but serving a different geographic territory.
• BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA): Provincial association coordinating volunteer ground search and rescue groups in British Columbia. Operates the same volunteer-membership, government-partnered model as AQBRS but in a different province, making it a directly comparable regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA): National volunteer organization providing airborne search assistance for missing persons across Canada. Shares the volunteer SAR mandate and government-coordination model with AQBRS but specializes in aerial rather than ground search.
• National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR): US-based membership organization for search and rescue professionals and volunteers. Comparable in mission (training, standards, advocacy for SAR volunteers) but operating in the United States rather than Canada, functioning as the closest international analog to AQBRS's mandate.
• St. John Ambulance: National volunteer-driven organization providing emergency medical services, first aid training, and community safety programs. Comparable to AQBRS as a volunteer-membership charity delivering accredited training and emergency response in partnership with government.
• Canadian Red Cross: National humanitarian organization providing disaster response, emergency relief, and search-related support. A broader-scale, federally connected organization that overlaps with AQBRS in disaster response and emergency volunteer mobilization, but with much wider mandate and funding base.
• Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR): National volunteer marine search and rescue organization. Operates on a similar volunteer-membership model with government partnership but focuses on marine incidents; comparable as a sister volunteer SAR organization under the broader Canadian volunteer SAR umbrella.

Direct peers

• AdventureSmart: National outdoor-safety prevention program of which AQBRS is an active delivery partner. Directly comparable as AQBRS delivers AdventureSmart presentations (including 'Stay Near a Tree') in Quebec, sharing the same prevention-and-education mission on outdoor safety.
• Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC / ACVRS): The national umbrella body for volunteer search and rescue associations across Canada. AQBRS's president represents Quebec on SARVAC, and both organizations operate on a volunteer-membership model with CSA-aligned training standards—making SARVAC the closest governance and standards peer.

Others

• SPCA / Humane Society (Quebec): Quebec-based non-profit relying on volunteer networks and public donations for animal welfare operations. Indirectly comparable as a Quebec-headquartered charitable membership organization funded largely through donations, illustrating the broader Quebec volunteer-charity peer set AQBRS operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9coise-des-b%C3%A9n%C3%A9voles-en-recherche-et-sauvetage-aqbrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage (AQBRS)