Tim Jones

Timothy Edmund Jones (May 30, 1956 January 19, 2014) was a Canadian Advanced Life Support Paramedic and Search and Rescue Technician. Jones was also a prominent media spokesperson and team leader for North Shore Rescue which is based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He made significant contributions to the field of Search and Rescue and was an outspoken advocate for wilderness safety.

Early life

Timothy Edmund Jones was born on May 30, 1956, in Edmonton, Alberta, the youngest of three children. His father, Owen, was an attorney and his mother, Mary, a homemaker. The family moved to North Vancouver in 1962, settling in a home at the bottom of Grouse Mountain. There Jones explored logging trails, canyons and creeks with his brother, Owen Jr. This was the start of his love of the mountains that inspired him in his later years.

In high school, Jones played football at Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver and eventually went to Simon Fraser University on a sports scholarship. After graduating with a BA in geography, he was drafted into the Canadian Football League by the Toronto Argonauts in 1978, but a knee injury in preseason ended his professional football career. At 24, Jones returned to Vancouver. Shortly after returning his father died and he stayed home with his mother to offer support. Jones went on to earn a teaching degree at SFU. He became a substitute physical education and geography teacher in North Vancouver, and helped coach high school football teams.

Paramedic Shortly after becoming a substitute teacher, Jones started working part-time with the British Columbia Ambulance Service. Since part-timers were required to be on-call, he sometimes spent nights sleeping at the station so he would not be late for a call. Jones progressed to working full-time as a paramedic in the Downtown Eastside. While raising a young family and working night shifts, Jones completed several advanced training certifications. He became an advanced life-support paramedic and, in 1990, was appointed unit chief in North Vancouver where he remained until his death in 2014.

Through his work with the media, Jones advocated for search and rescue volunteers across the province. Jones lobbied government for adequate funding and recognition of its volunteers. In 2014 the federal government of Canada recognized Jones in the budget by dedicating a national search and rescue volunteer tax credit in his name.

Awards Jones received numerous awards and honours for his service to the community, among them were: Inducted into the 2014 Simon Fraser University Clan Sports Hall of Fame under the Terry Fox Honorary Category. He is the only person other than Fox himself to so recognized. Federal Tax Credit for search and rescue volunteers in Canada named in his honour The Order of British Columbia Honorary Doctor of Laws from Capilano University The Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal

Death On January 19, 2014, Jones died from a sudden cardiac arrest while hiking down from the North Shore Rescue team cabin on Mount Seymour. He was accompanied by his daughter and a teammate who both attempted to resuscitate him.