Allen served as a North Shore Rescue team member for twelve years and participated in over 700 search and rescue operations in mountain, wilderness and urban environments. He shared a Canada 125 medal presented to the team for volunteer activities. In addition to enjoying hiking, nature studies, geocaching and metal detecting, Allen has rafted the length of the Fraser River and worked as a fire suppression crewman in central British Columbia.
Allen has 30 years’ experience in post-secondary education, primarily in Allied Health and Biology education programs teaching a variety of Human Anatomy and Physiology and basic Biology courses. He served on the governance boards of the Canadian Association of Allied Health Programs and the North Shore Rescue Team Society. He has a doctorate in Zoology, University of Texas at Austin and M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees (Zoology) from the University of British Columbia.