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SAR NEW INITIATIVES FUND

7th Annual Summer SAR Exercise

By David Schafer
Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner

Volunteers from Manitoba are working together during the exercise. Photo Credit: David Schafer

On the weekend of August 22 to 24, 2008, the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner and its partner agencies that make up Search and Rescue Manitoba (S.A.R.M.A.N.) sponsored the 7th Annual Summer Ground Search and Rescue Exercise in beautiful Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Approximately 110 members participated in this year’s event, with 10 volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from across the province in attendance.

S.A.R.M.A.N. includes the policing authorities responsible for SAR in Manitoba, the federal and provincial SAR authorities in the province of Manitoba, and agencies mandated to support SAR efforts in Manitoba.

For the second year in a row, the annual weekend SAR exercise took on the form of a friendly competition. The two primary objectives were to provide provincial volunteer teams and responsible agencies with an opportunity to network and train together, and to help SAR team members further develop as many of their skills as possible during the exercise. The winner of this year’s competition was the Grand Valley Mutual Aid Volunteer SAR Team from Western Manitoba.

Many volunteers participated in the exercise in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Photo Credit: David Schafer

Prizes were donated from local businesses to support the volunteer effort. A hearty supper was served to all participants after the exercise on Saturday evening, and a hot breakfast on Sunday morning before they returned home.

Guest observers included Josée Marengère and Anne-Marie Choquette both from the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS), Harry Blackmore, president of the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada, and Michel Villeneuve from Parks Canada. Each presented their respective agency or association and explained how they fit into the overall National SAR Strategy.

This year’s event was the first of six provincial exercises to be held in Manitoba over the next three years, thanks to the support of the NSS New Initiatives Fund. The province of Manitoba and S.A.R.M.A.N. wish to thank the NSS as well as all participating and observing agencies for making this year’s event a great success.

Dave Schafer is the Manager of Operations – West for the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner. The Office of the Fire Commissioner oversees the Ground and Urban Search & Rescue Networks in Manitoba and is a founding partner in the Search and Rescue - Manitoba “S.A.R.M.A.N” Association

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