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Improving search and rescue in Canada's national parks

The search for a reindeer herder in late December 2003 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, mirrored a recent simulated search and showed the importance of a coordinated approach to search and rescue.

Participants at a similar Parks Canada table top held in Smiths Falls, Ontario, discussed the implications of a dam bursting in the Tay River.

After initiating the search, the RCMP contacted Ron Larsen, Operations Manager for Parks Canada's Western Arctic Field Unit, to manage the search on their behalf.

For four days Mr. Larsen used a variety of regional resources, including the rangers, park wardens, family members, local hunters and trappers committees, a representative from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the RCMP.

Mr. Larsen and his group eventually found the missing herder's snowmobile, but with blizzard-like conditions, were forced to suspend the search to ensure the safety of those searching.

Well-managed search
A debriefing session was held after the incident to discuss what had happened during the search. Mr. Larsen explained that "despite the fact that we have not been able to recover the missing person, everyone involved in the search feels that we did everything that could be done given the circumstances."

The participants felt this search was well-managed and cooperative, and Mr. Larsen attributes this to a Parks Canada table top exercise held in Inuvik last September.

The Inuvik table top exercise was part of a Parks Canada series bringing together different groups and agencies who work together in an emergency, including search and rescue.

Inuvik, located just above the Arctic Circle, has 56 days of 24-hour daylight in the summer, and 30 days of zero daylight in the winter.

Local representatives brought together
This scenario began in Ivvavik National Park where a group of kayakers was 48 hours overdue from a 500 km trip.

The participants worked through the search scenario and discussed how they would each handle their role.

Mr. Larsen said the exercise was valuable because it brought together local representatives of various groups and agencies to learn about each other.
"Bringing this group together for a face-to-face meeting allowed us to discuss each other's resources, call-out procedures, expectations and concerns," he added.

These table tops are an important opportunity for groups to learn about each other and discuss possible scenarios. But how many groups have the opportunity to put what they've learned into practice so soon after the exercise?

Integrated approach
Regarding the well-run search for the missing herder, Mr. Larsen credits the table top meeting for its success.

"With respect to the recent search, the table top allowed us to use a more integrated approach in conducting the search because we were more familiar with each other and our respective capabilities," he explained.

Open lines of communication
Throughout the table top exercises, it was apparent that one meeting is not enough. The groups involved need regular meetings to keep open the lines of communication and to continue the training because no two search and rescue incidents are alike.

Mr. Larsen also emphasized the importance of having a scenario that fits the particular environment.

"We had to revise the initial scenario quite a bit to make it more applicable to our Northern environment," he explained.

"I think it's safe to say that searches, and training exercises for that matter, have a different character in the north than in the south. The number and type of resources available for searching can be very different than in the south. As well, search areas can also be vast given the methods of travel and the sparse population."

Working together
Mr. Larsen thanked Claude Auger, Parks Canada organizer of the table top series, for his efforts in making the exercise happen.

Mr. Larsen also credited the RCMP and their willingness to work together, saying their professionalism made managing the search a much easier task.

"The table top exercise brought us together to begin developing a closer working relationship but it was the commitment of the individual participants to work together that moved us from the theoretical into a real life application," explained Mr. Larsen.

He also extends credit to Staff Sergeant Sid Gray of the Inuvik detachment and Jack Kruger, the RCMP Search and Rescue Coordinator, who worked behind the scenes to ensure that resources were available for the search.

Regarding the search for the missing reindeer herder, Mr. Larsen said, "there is no doubt in my mind that the pooling of resources in this case came about as a by-product of the table top exercise."

For more information about Parks Canada's table top exercise series, contact Claude Auger at (819) 997-0201, or at claude.auger@pc.gc.ca

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