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Awards

SAR awards presented at SARSCENE 2007

The National Search and Rescue Secretariat presented their annual Outstanding Search and Rescue Achievement Award as well as four Certificates of Achievement in SAR on October 20 in Victoria, British Columbia. The presentations were made at an awards banquet which closed SARSCENE 2007, the annual SAR conference.

The Outstanding SAR Achievement Award for 2007 was awarded to the Canadian Coast Guard Rescue Specialist Coordinators Working Group.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Rescue Specialist Coordinators Working Group's unwavering commitment to service delivery resulted in the implementation of the CCG Rescue Specialist Program. Within the Rescue Specialist Program, medical care has progressed from basic First Aid to enhanced skill sets such as casualty management. Rescue Specialists now have the ability to perform advanced levels of emergency medical care in addition to their mariner duties and standard SAR skills training. As a result of the working group's efforts, nearly 500 highly skilled personnel are ready to react and provide care wherever and whenever they are called upon.

Certificates of Achievement in SAR were presented to the Canadian Avalanche Association, Sergeant Patrick J. Egan, Jim McAllister and Phil Whitfield

Founded in 1981, the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) promotes avalanche safety nationally, and established Canada's international reputation as a leader in avalanche accident prevention and search and rescue response. More then 800 CAA members work daily to promote avalanche safety, with activities ranging from research to hazard control and management.

Sergeant Patrick Egan has been a true leader in Yukon SAR for more then 17 years. He was instrumental in starting the Yukon's first search and rescue team at Carcross in 1990 and has since served as Incident Commander on several dozen successful SAR operations. His dedication to SAR has been unwavering, developing and conducting numerous training exercises for Yukon SAR volunteers and participating in Yukon Emergency Measures Organization planning sessions.

Jim McAllister has always been an ardent supporter and tireless worker in British Columbia's SAR system. From his decades as a SAR volunteer, to leading the Ground and Inland Water SAR program in various capacities with the British Columbia Provincial Emergency Program, his vision has helped to shape BC's SAR system into an integrated, coordinated and layered response network.

Passionate and dedicated, Phil Whitfield has been a champion of the rescue community throughout his 20-plus years of service in British Columbia. His active participation, both as a ground SAR volunteer and as the president of the BC Cave Rescue Society, is well known, making him a respected ambassador for cave rescue across all of North America.

CASARA Member of the Year Award

Keith Bennett was awarded the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association's (CASARA) member of the year award for 2007 on May 25 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mr. Bennett has worked in helping to refine and implement the new Crew Management System program which is being used by all the CASARA units across Canada. He currently lives in Salmon Arm where he over sees the Central Zone as the Zone Commander for CASARA.

Cormorant crew receives international award

The Cormorant crew from left to right: Cpl Derek Agnew, Capt Sean Morris, Sgt Yves St. Denis, MCpl Kent Guilliford and Capt Rob Mulholland. Photo Credit: 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron

A Canadian Forces Cormorant crew has been awarded with the Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award from Britain's Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. They are the first Canadians to receive the award in its 29-year history.

Capt Sean Morris and fellow crewmen from 19 Wing's 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron received the award for the rescue of three victims of a helicopter crash on October 25, 2006. Crewmen included Cpl Derek Agnew, Sgt Yves St. Denis, MCpl Kent Guilliford, Capt Sean Morris and Capt Rob Mulholland.

The mission which should have been a relatively easy rescue, turned into an eleven hour ordeal for the crew. Bad weather and painstaking visibility saw the crew landing with the victims at a logging camp with only 15 minutes of fuel remaining. All victims recovered from their injuries.

Founder of Sauvetage Canada Rescue receives Caring Canadian Award

In April, Carol Namur was presented with the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award for her volunteer work in the community. In 1975, Ms. Namur and her husband founded the volunteer organization Sauvetage Canada Rescue, which plays a vital role in ground search and rescue (SAR) in Québec through the education, training and coordinating of volunteers.

Ms. Namur's contribution to SAR in Canada can also be seen through her involvement in the creation and ongoing work of the SAR Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) and her role in the development of National Criteria for Volunteer Ground SAR.

Created in 1996 by the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc, the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award is presented to individuals and groups whose voluntary contributions provide extraordinary help or care to people in the community.

Captain receives Marine Safety Award

On April 30th, Captain Zak Farid was presented with Transport Canada's 2007 Marine Safety Award. The Award was established in 1997 to recognize persons, groups, companies, organizations, agencies or departments that have contributed to raising awareness of marine safety in Canada.

Captain Farid is a fellow of the Nautical Institute of British Columbia (BC) and has been a long stranding contributor to the work of the Canadian Marine Advisory Council. Currently, he is lead auditor conducting International Safety Management Audits for BC Ferries and is one of the safety inspectors for Vanuatu Flag vessels arriving in Canada.

Six volunteers honoured in BC

From left to right: Cam Filmer (Executive Director), Linda West, Norm Barton, Ken Hruschak, Neil Brewer, Jim Dezall, and Wes Shoemaker (Associate Deputy Minister, Emergency Management BC) Photo Credit: BC Provincial Emergency Program

Five public safety lifeline volunteers and a lifetime award recipient were recognized at the Provincial Emergency Program's (PEP) annual Volunteer Awards Recognition dinner on April 28th in Victoria, British Columbia (BC).

"BC has one of Canada's best and well-trained emergency management programs in the country because of people like you", proclaimed Solicitor General, The Honourable John Les. "The five disciplines that make up the Public Safety Lifeline; Search and Rescue, Emergency Social Services, Emergency Radio, PEP Air and Road Rescue, provide vital services to the citizens of British Columbia."

The six recognized individuals are among the 13,000 emergency volunteers throughout the province of BC who dedicate their time to help others.

The 2007 award recipients are:

• Norm Barton, Radio Communications
• Alvina Berggren, Emergency Social Services
• Neil Brewer, Search and Rescue
• Jim Dezall, Road Rescue
• Ken Hruschak, PEP Air
• Linda West, Lifetime Achievement Award

CASARA renames National SAR Excellence Award

From left to right: Jon Smith, Barry Goreman, Jay Frye, Cliff Gavel and Major General Duval Photo Credit: CASARA

The Civil Air Search and Rescue Association's (CASARA) annual National Search and Rescue (SAR) Excellence Award is awarded to the winning CASARA team in the annual search event that is held at SAREX. The Award was recently renamed for the late Lieutenant Colonel Colin Goodman, one of the pillars in Canada's SAR program for many years.

CASARA presented its first Lieutenant Colonel Colin Goodman National SAR Excellence Award during SAREX 2007 in Goose Bay, Labrador. The winning team was comprised of Jay Frye, Cliff Gavel, Barry Goreman and Jon Smith from CASARA Nova Scotia, Yarmouth Zone.

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