Our Instructors
Raven Rescue is a Canadian company with 25 years in the rescue training and safety business. We are the leading provider of technical rescue training in Canada.
Our instructors are all highly operational, meaning they routinely work in high-risk environments including swiftwater and surface ice and they utilize technical rope systems on a regular basis. As first responders, they are constantly using the skills they teach and are up-to-date on the latest developments in rescue theory and practice. In addition, all our instructors all have great personalities, natural teaching abilities and a dedication to customer service. This ensures your training experience is enjoyable as well as educational.
Scroll down to see short bios on all of our instructors.
Walter Bucher, Owner & Instructor-Trainer
Instructor: Swiftwater, Ice, Rope, Boat
Raven Rescue owner and head instructor Walter Bucher has 25 years of experience in search & rescue and technical rescue instruction. He is Rescue 3’s Instructor Trainer and Official Agent for Western Canada. In addition, Walter Bucher coordinates swiftwater rescue services for Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue and is a volunteer firefighter with Smithers Fire Department.
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Craig Gerrard
Instructor-Trainer
Instructor: Swiftwater, Rope, Tower, Boat
Craig teaches water-based rescue courses from the awareness to the technician level, as well as boat handling, technical rope and tower rescue. He has a strong background in whitewater, being an accomplished paddler and rafter. In addition, Craig coordinates swiftwater rescue for Cowichan Search and Rescue. He and his wife Stacey own and operate Kindred Spirit Kayak Company out of Duncan, BC. providing whitewater kayaking excursions and instruction and are also dealers for Bliss Stick kayaks and Aire inflatables. Craig is an organized, intuitive and patient instructor and gets great reviews from his students.
Tim Wheeler
Instructor: Swiftwater, Ice, Boat
Tim has an outdoor resume longer than your arm and teaches swiftwater, boat handling and ice rescue. He is an experienced backcountry guide, and leads mountaineering, hiking, canoeing and kayaking expeditions in many remote regions of Canada and around the world. In addition, Tim has worked as an Initial Attack Forest Fire Ranger. He is a natural teacher and clients find him very easy to work with.
Mike Adams, Instructor-Trainer
Instructor: Swiftwater, Rope
Mike is a Swiftwater Instructor-Trainer with North Vancouver District Fire and Rescue and teaches swiftwater and technical rope courses for Raven Rescue as well. Combining exceptional swiftwater, technical rope and teaching skills, he is a great asset to our instructor team. Mike is also an accomplished whitewater paddler and river guide and is starting to introduce his young family to river recreation.
Colin Saurette
Instructor: Swiftwater, Ice, Rope, Boat
In addition to teaching swiftwater rescue and ice rescue courses for Raven Rescue, Colin is employed by the Canadian Coast Guard, and is a dedicated volunteer member of the Squamish Search and Rescue team. His SAR involvement keeps his operational skills finely-tuned and he is continually upgrading his qualifications in order to stay current. He is currently working on his Paramedic ticket. Colin is a consumate professional and goes the extra distance to make sure his clients learn the skills they need in order to do their jobs in the safest manner possible.
Peter Lyon
Instructor: Rope, Confined Space, Fall Protection
Peter teaches our low and high angle technical rope courses, as well as confined space and fall protection. Peter’s background includes mine rescue, fire fighting and he is an equipment sales rep for Carleton Rescue Equipment. An accomplished athlete and motorcycle afficionado, Peter is detail-oriented and conscientious—important qualities for a rope instructor. He has a great sense of humour and an ability to inspire confidence in clients who may be testing their personal comfort zone.
Scott Streadwick
Instructor: Swiftwater
Scott is a multi-faceted swiftwater professional. As owner of Liquid Lifestyles, a river adventure company, kayak school and swiftwater equipment retailer, Scott makes it possible for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy river recreation in kayaks, inflatables and rafts. Scott keeps his rescue skills sharp as the Director and Training Officer for Wells Gray Search and Rescue. In winter, he is a professional heli ski guide in the Cariboo and Monashee mountains and soon-to-be ice rescue instructor. Scott is also the proud papa of a new baby boy.
Stefan Bucher
Instructor: Swiftwater
Stefan grew up on the river and is equally at home in the water as on land. Stefan is an accomplished paddler, a certified lifeguard and a registered nurse, specializing in emergency medicine. Stefan is also experienced in swiftwater search & rescue. He has an exceptional ability to read water, identify hazards and apply low-to-high risk rescue options, making him a valuable asset to our teaching team. Stefan teaches awareness, operations and technician-level swiftwater courses.
Ron Morrison, Instructor-Trainer, Rescue 3 Course Provider - Alberta
Instructor: Swiftwater, Ice, Rope, Tower, Boat, Wilderness and Remote Medicine
In addition to teaching swiftwater, ice, technical rope and tower rescue, Ron works in cooperation with Raven Rescue to coordinate all Rescue 3 programs in Alberta, from his home-base in Edmonton. He is the director of WAVE - Western Adventure Education providing rescue, medical, risk management and paddlesports education and certification programs. He has over a decade of teaching and expedition experience in swiftwater, paddling, climbing and outdoor leadership, and is also an instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates. He is an energetic and knowledgeable instructor and connects well with clients.
Chris Burnham
Instructor: Swiftwater
Chris is at home on rivers worldwide having kayaked and rafted in places like the UK, Italy, Norway, Chile, New Zealand, Nepal & Zimbabwe. He is presently the Guide Manager for Wild Water Adventures on the Kicking Horse River in B.C. In addition, Chris is an examiner for the B.C. Raft Outfitters Association, a certified kayaking instructor, and is an emergency medical and advanced wilderness first responder. Chris also has a strong background in rope rescue and has worked for the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association. Chris brings a wealth of experience, skill and charisma to our team.
Chris Jonasen, Instructor-Trainer
Instructor: Swiftwater, Ice, Rope, Boat, Animal
Chris Jonason is one of North America’s top technical rescue instructors. She is an Instructor Trainer for Rescue 3 and conducts risk management for fire departments and rafting companies worldwide. For more than 25 years Chris has been an avid river runner. In 1983 she founded Washington-based Wave Trek Inc., a whitewater rafting, kayaking and outdoor adventure school, that she ran for more than 10 years. Chris is now instructing and consulting on a full-time basis, both for Raven Rescue and through her own company Wavetrek Rescue in Washington state. Clients are inspired by Chris’s depth of knowledge, hands-on experience and dedication to the field of technical rescue.
Amy Copland
Client Relations and Administration
Amy is the first point of contact for most clients. She coordinates our course bookings and office management. A former journalist and public relations consultant, she is also an avid whitewater paddler and rafter and brings a hands-on knowledge of rivers, rope and safety to her dealings with clients. In the summer months, Amy can often be found on rivers across the West, plying the oars of an 18’ Aire cataraft with a pile of kids and an aging Jack Russell terrier aboard.
