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NEW SAR INITIATIVES FUND

Destruction of Hurricane Hazel remembered 50 years later
It wasn't expected to hit the Toronto area with such force, but Hurricane Hazel packed a punch on Oct. 15, 1954 and killed 81 people. Although the hurricane had traveled rapidly through the United States, it was expected to dissipate and weaken into non-hurricane status.

As a result, people were largely unprepared and the damage was extreme. Thousands were left homeless and the costs were estimated to be $100 million (about $1 billion today).

Environment Canada, with funding from the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund, has decided to study the impact of hurricanes in Canada, particularly on the East Coast.

The potential hazards from hurricanes have not been well-recognized in Canada and Environment Canada hopes to change that with this study. The project will record data on waves, precipitation and wind to be better able to forecast these events and make the public better informed.

Specifically, the data will be used to raise awareness of the potential impact and hazards of these storms; improve wind, wave and precipitation forecasts; develop improved computer generated prediction tools for wind, waves and precipitation; and identify trends in hurricane structures to be used as a guide for flying search and rescue missions in hurricanes.

Although the project began in 2003 and does not finish until 2006, a 50th anniversary documentary of Hurricane Hazel has been produced. The

Since 1985, the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) of Alberta has contributed to the care of more than 11,000 critically ill and injured patients. With funding from the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund, STARS has been able to implement its Night Vision Goggle program that provides the opportunity for 24-hour SAR operations. STARS CEO D. Gregory Powell stands with Jean Murray, Executive Director of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat, after unveiling STARS' new SAR logo to acknowledge the Secretariat's role in providing the funding.

first-hand accounts of the havoc and chaos that ensued will help raise awareness of the devastating effects of hurricanes.
EC 6/03

Lakehead SAR unit upgrades prevention program
Public education is key and the Lakehead Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit is well-versed in the importance of keeping people informed about safety in the forests of Northwestern Ontario.

For over 40 years the team has been teaching the general public about preventative SAR using flip charts, handouts and overheads. To keep pace with modern teaching techniques and keep its audiences interested and well-informed, the Lakehead SAR Unit has obtained funding from the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund to modernize its full range of presentation packages.

By modernizing the presentations into PowerPoint, the unit will be able to reach more individuals and groups through lectures, workshops, mall presentations and more. Further, upgrading the programs will make it easy to make changes to presentations as new survival techniques, search strategies and advanced technologies emerge.

These prevention programs will also be available to other SAR units.
ON 2/04

Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary's marine simulation program
With the rising costs and decreasing budgets, it is becoming harder to efficiently train search and rescue (SAR) personnel.

The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) in the Pacific region has found a solution: develop a new volunteer SAR training program that uses emerging technology to improve the safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the existing training program.

Sponsored by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and funded through the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund, CCGA Pacific will purchase a marine simulator and integrate it into the existing training program, which will improve the quality and quantity of training that takes place. In turn, this increases the SAR effectiveness and safety of crew members.

The CCGA has 1,400 volunteers, but each receives only a limited amount of on-water training - between 40 and 48 hours per year. Depending on the crew member's skill and experience, a large portion of this time is devoted to familiarization and navigation lessons, with a smaller portion dedicated to SAR techniques.

Funding restraints mean crew members may spend as little as two hours a month on the water in dedicated training time, and they may never encounter the dangerous conditions they are likely to face during a SAR incident.

The marine simulator software the CCGA will use is currently used to train ship's captains and crew members in non-emergency and emergency situations. Developed by the Centre for Marine Simulation and Virtual Marine Technology Inc., the software uses real marine charts to simulate accurate real-life marine environments and a wide-variety of marine conditions can be easily created and manipulated by trained instructors.

It is estimated the new initiative will decrease on-water training by at least 20 hours, while crew members will become more experienced, more knowledgeable and more effective on the water after training with the marine simulator.

Not only will this increase the effectiveness and efficiency of marine SAR training, but it will enhance boating safety education.

The CCGA Pacific has a well-established boating safety program in many coastal and inland communities and members attend hundreds of boating safety events each year. These events are already an opportune time for members to distribute safety information, but the added marine simulation component will add a dynamic element to the training for all involved.
DFO 3/04

New communications platform for Kent Harrison Search and Rescue
With more users relying on radio communications, especially search and rescue (SAR) groups, Industry Canada, the federal government agency responsible for radio communications, was forced to narrow the VHF channel bandwidth to accommodate everyone.

Because of this action, the radio equipment being used by the Kent Harrison Search and Rescue group in B.C. became obsolete and incompatible with other radio users in their narrow-bandwidth area. As such, the group's entire VHF communications system needed to be replaced, including mobile radios, portable radios and pagers.

Sponsored by the B.C. Provincial Emergency Program and funded through the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund, the Kent Harrison SAR group was able to purchase the new communications equipment they needed. Further, the group donated its existing 13 Motorola 16-channel VHF radios to other SAR groups in the province who are not affected by the channel bandwidth changes.
BC 1/04

More information about the New SAR Initiatives Fund

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