– It’s a little unreal. The kind you read about in the newspaper, but which everyone thinks “does not happen to me”. Suddenly you are in the middle of it yourself.
Cecilie Bårdsen (40) works voluntarily as a rescue worker for Norwegian Rescue Dogs. Together, she and border collie Risk (10) have participated in 36 rescue and search operations since last summer.
Sunday night a week and a half ago, she was among those who were asked to move out to Kvam, after a boat had been taken by the current in Tokagjelet. She was going to work early on Monday morning, and therefore replied that she could not.
– Half an hour later, little brother calls. He asks me to take the dogs and get me in the car, says Bårdsen.
Then she learned that the missing were her father Nils Johan Bårdsen (72), bonus mother Ruth Wathne (68), and their friend Kjell Arne Pedersen (64). In addition, the dog Leo was in the boat.
Bergensavisen spoke first with Bårdsen.
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– Heavy not to be allowed to participate
Together with his two brothers, Bårdsen was in Kvam until Tuesday last week. As a relative, she could not contribute as usual in searching for the missing.
– It was hard not to participate, even though I fully understand that I could not. One does not go out and search for one’s own.
The search operation in Kvam was very demanding. In addition to the police and fire brigade, a large number of volunteers participated in the search. Heavy rainfall led to high water levels and strong currents in the river.
COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH: Crews from the river rescue group and Hordaland Alpine rescue group search here in the area below the waterfall. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet
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Half a day after the search operation was launched, the police stated that a boat had been found below the waterfall in Tokagjelet. A few hours later, clothes were found in the same area. Late that evening, the rescue operation turned into a search for the presumed dead.
Bårdsen found it extra difficult to know the system from the inside. She knew all along what was coming, before the police came up with updates.
– All three of us realized very early on that this could not have gone well. But the hope is there, she says.
– At the same time, I know that those who were out working did everything in their power to find them. That means everything. Knowing that someone is trying to find your own, who is missing … It can not be described what it means.
– He was warm and skilled
– Absolutely amazing people
After a few days in Kvam, it was important for Bårdsen to get home. Talk to friends. Get back to training with the dogs.
– It is my way of dealing with this, she says.
– The dogs get me out of bed and out every single day. It brings to mind other things.
DOG SEARCH: Volunteers from Norwegian Rescue Dogs participated in the search in Kvam. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet
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She gives her father part of the credit for volunteering for Norwegian Rescue Dogs.
– Dad has always been a lifeguard, as a firefighter and as a volunteer for the Red Cross. Then I had a dog that turned out to be suitable. Being able to go out and help others means a lot to me.
All three missing are now probably found. Ruth Wathne was found on Saturday at the top of Tokagjelet. Kjell Arne Pedersen was found on Sunday in Movatnet. On Tuesday, a third person was found at the bottom of the Tokagjelselva. The latter, probably Nils Johan Bårdsen, has not yet been formally identified.
Bårdsen finds it difficult to understand what has happened. All three were so sensible.
– They were absolutely fantastic people. Dad and Ruth were a support. They were a security. The doors were always open with them. They were helpful and valued honesty. Growing up, we were not afraid to tell if we had done something we should not have done. We knew the reaction would be worse if we did not tell them, she says.
And adds:
– Dad was the most sane man in the world – the calm himself.
– To find the needle in the haystack
Requires a lot of work
The experience on the other side of a search operation – as a relative – has further contributed to the motivation to become a better dog handler and participate in searches.
The eye of the needle to be approved as a rescue dog is narrow and requires two to three years of education. The dogs should be trained daily to train and maintain fitness, obedience and search skills, says Bårdsen. All courses are paid for out of pocket. She describes it as a lifestyle.
The volunteers are also always ready to move out if something happens.
TRAINING: The Border Collie Ice (2) is trained to be approved as a rescue dog. The plan is for her to take over when Risk retires. Photo: Sissel Grønlund / Private
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– That you are in the middle of Saturday dinner is not a good enough reason to stay home. Jobs, on the other hand, can be a stop, she says.
Therefore, she believes it is important that employers who have the opportunity to do so, give approved dog handlers a dispensation to move when they are called out. She will also encourage landowners and hunting teams to open up their areas for training.
A fundraising campaign for Norwegian Rescue Dogs department Hordaland, established by Bårdsen, has in a short time collected more than 60,000 kroner. The money will go to education and further development of rescue dogs.
– The better we can be, the better job we can do. It means so insanely much. Dogs quickly make a difference.
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