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The Spirit of Search and Rescue in full swing at SARSCENE 2007

Held in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, this year’s SARSCENE conference brought together a host of search and rescue (SAR) experts and professionals from across Canada and around the world. Along with the British Columbia Provincial Emergency Program (BC PEP) and the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA), we hosted over 600 delegates who came to share knowledge and showcase skills around this year’s theme: The Spirit of Search and Rescue. This theme was highlighted through many different events including the opening plenary and the Volunteer Appreciation night which was held at the Royal BC Museum, a truly unique and magnificent setting.

SARSCENE 2007 featured over 50 presentations from Canadian as well as international experts. Speakers from Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States brought an international perspective to the conference and showed how countries differ in their management of SAR.

The trade show included over 60 exhibitors who brought their products and services to the conference. With numerous first-time exhibitors, this year's trade show was a great success and offered information on various products such as satellite communications technologies, all-terrain vehicles, hovercrafts, emergency shelters and waterproof gear.

Team members from Avalon North Wolverines, Newfoundland and Labrador, tending to a casualty during the SARSCENE Games

SARSCENE Games

The 16th annual conference kicked off on Wednesday October 17 with the SARSCENE Games. A beautiful autumn morning greeted competitors, judges, and volunteers supporting the 2007 games. Beacon Hill Park, the jewel of Victoria's southern waterfront steeped in history and natural beauty, offered a backdrop for the day’s event.

Eight teams from across Canada and two international teams competed in the event. The teams were assessed through six different SAR stations based on survival skills, navigation, emergency scene management / medical, skills relay, search management and detection.

At day's end, the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve "Tsunami" team picked up the gold medal at the awards ceremony held at the Victoria Conference Centre. The Sûreté du Québec team finished second followed by the Irish Coast Guard in third. Fourth place went to Coquitlam SAR Two who was awarded four land mobile transceivers from ICOM Canada for the best overall performance by an all-volunteer team.

Games gold metal winners, the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve "Tsunami" (Left to right: Leila Sumi, Nathan Cardinal, Rundi Anderson and Dave Pemberton) Photo Credit: Photo by Ivan Hansen, courtesy Technical Rescue magazine, www.t-rescue.com

Opening plenary

The plenary session was one of the most memorable events of the conference. It included a tribute to Cospas-Sarsat and the Canadian Avalanche Association who each celebrated their 25th anniversary this year. The tribute was followed by guest speakers who shared heart warming stories of their experiences with SAR.

Pilot Jon Ziegelheim told the story of his dramatic rescue when the small aircraft he was flying crashed 25 years ago in British Columbia. The incident has the distinction of being the first search that was alerted using the Cospas-Sarsat system.

Susan Miller relayed the story of her four children who were rescued when their boat capsized near Nanoose, British Columbia. Ms. Miller, who watched the incident as it unfolded from the shore, described the rescue in which all of her children were saved.

Brad Sills, a Search Manager with Whistler Search and Rescue, introduced a video which told the first-person account of Sam Black, a hiker who was stranded for six days in Whistler's Brandywine Mountain region.

Cyndie Jones, BC PEP, with Larry and Jacquie Beveridge

The final story came from Larry and Jacquie Beveridge who recounted the loss of their nine year old son Jimmy, who got lost during a family camping trip in California’s Palomar State Park in 1981. They discussed the Hug-a-tree and survive program which was created out of the outcome of this incident and how it has spread across the United States and Canada.

The sights and sounds of SAR

Photo Credit: Photo by Ivan Hansen, courtesy Technical Rescue magazine, www.t-rescue.com

SARSCENE delegates and the public came together on Saturday October 20 for the live SAR demonstrations that took place off Holland Point in Victoria. This year, the outdoor presentation of marine, air and ground SAR included a multi agency response to a simulated vessel in distress, a simulated cliff rescue, and a fly/sail past of SAR resources. The participating agencies comprised of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), the Canadian Guard Auxiliary (CCGA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Blackcomb Helicopters, Squamish Search and Rescue, Coquitlam Search and Rescue and the Canadian Forces (CF).

Photo Credit: Photo by Ivan Hansen, courtesy Technical Rescue magazine, www.t-rescue.com

Following the live SAR demonstrations, members of the public and conference delegates made their way to the CCG base, where they were treated to static displays of SAR assets including a number of helicopters and vessels. A number of agencies including the RCMP and BCSARA also had booths with information for visitors.

Information on SARSCENE 2008 to be held in St. John’s, Newfoundland will soon be available. For more information, consult the National Search and Rescue Secretariat’s website www.nss.gc.ca in the coming months.

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