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Photo Credit: Captain Kevin Smith

Virtual search and rescue: the CCGA marine SAR simulation program

By Tanis Harrison

It’s 03:00 in the morning, and steady rain and gale force winds are pounding Vancouver Island’s south coast. The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary – Pacific (CCGA-P) coxswain and crew are paged a code 3 Mayday to respond to reports of a sinking fishing vessel in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The volunteer crewmembers race into the cabin of their fast rescue craft. They set a plan, start up the engines, and guide their vessel out into the night. Heavy rain and reduced visibility conditions require the navigator to focus intensely on the vessel’s radar, chart plotter, and GPS as the crew speed through the night to the vessel’s last known position. The helmsman maintains control of the rescue craft while scanning for logs, the vessel, and people who may be in the water. The third crewmember desperately tries to make contact with the crew of the stricken vessel while communicating with another search and rescue (SAR) vessel en route.

At 03:18, the stricken vessel is spotted on radar, and minutes later crew members get a visual off the starboard side – the vessel is quickly filling up with water and is listing to port. Two crewmembers on the vessel in distress are frantically calling out for help, and another is spotted in the water, arms flailing in the air desperate for rescue. The rescue craft maneuvers into position and the crew prepares to help the victims aboard. Seconds later, the lights come up and the screens go white – another successful simulation has been completed.

The rescue that just took place in the waters off Victoria was actually an immersive marine SAR simulation designed to provide realistic, safe, and effective training to marine SAR crews in high speed rescue craft. The CCGA-P, a volunteer marine SAR organization, has spent the past three years developing its simulator program. The program combines cutting edge technology with years of first-hand marine SAR knowledge to create a realistic and powerful training tool for its volunteer crewmembers.

The idea for the CCGA-P’s simulator program first emerged in 2003 when the organization began looking for more efficient, cost effective, and safer ways to train marine SAR crews on fast response craft.

Photo Credit: Captain Kevin Smith

“A number of the CCGA-P’s 50 community-based units had recently purchased high-speed search and rescue craft in order to provide 24-hour marine SAR services,” said CCGA-P President Bruce Falkins. “With the use of larger and faster vessels, which often operate in adverse conditions, the need for modern and aggressive training approaches has grown with the increasing risk level.” Many hours of research determined that simulation would be one of the best ways for the organization to address these new training needs.

In 2003, the CCGA-P submitted a SAR New Initiatives Fund (SAR NIF) proposal to the National Search and Rescue Secretariat and were granted the funds to develop the world’s first accurate simulator for fast response craft. Development began in 2004 and by 2007, the CCGA-P’s simulator was up and running. This was due in no small part to partnerships with Memorial University, the Canadian Coast Guard, Titan Inflatables, and CMC Electronics.

The CCGA-P simulator that has emerged from these partnerships is completely immersive and includes an accurate mathematical modeling of vessel motion. It contains a mock-up of an actual fast response craft cabin, complete with real vessel controls and equipment which makes for a truly realistic experience. Detailed graphical models of the vessel and target vessels operate in a representation of either the Victoria to Sidney, Douglas Channel or Broken Islands ocean environment, and include accurate depths, buoys, lights, and charted information. A 270º wrap around projection system displays the environment with parameters that are controlled by the instructor. To complete the experience, a 5-speaker sound system provides simulated engine and environmental noise.

In conjunction with the development of the CCGA-P’s fully immersive simulator, an online navigation program called Navigation Equipment Training Simulator (NETsim) was created. While the full simulator requires a trip to Victoria, the NETsim can be accessed by anyone with a computer and a high-speed Internet connection. Thus, the NETsim provides navigation training to a larger audience.

The NETsim is a virtual simulator that has the standard marine navigational equipment used on most rescue crafts. It is a key component of the CCGA-P’s SAR Learning System, a comprehensive online training tool that allows CCGA-P members to gain marine navigation knowledge and to practice skills in a virtual environment. Other online components that complement the NETsim are interactive video tutorials, workbook exercises, a nautical library, and on-line evaluations. While CCGA-P crews still engage in on-water training, the SAR Learning System serves as an accessible and cost-effective supplement.

The first official full immersion simulator training course took place in Victoria this past winter. Six CCGA-P volunteer crewmembers were immersed for five days in simulated and on-water exercises that focused on complex skill interactions in crew communications, navigation and pilotage. Thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers, strong partnerships and the power of emerging technology, the simulator promises to serve as an outstanding training tool for many years to come.

For more information on the CCGA-P’s simulation program, please contact Simulator Project Officer Thomas Kerr at (250) 480-2736. A Virtual Tour of the simulator is now available at www.smallvesselsimulation.com.

Tanis Harrison is the Special Projects Officer for the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary – Pacific, and provides support to the organization's 1400 volunteer members.

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