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BOOK REVIEW

True Stories of Rescue and Survival:

Canada’s Unknown Heroes

By Jeremy Derksen / jderksen@shaw.ca

Pop quiz, hotshot. A lone pilot is stranded in a blizzard in the Arctic after an emergency landing. It’s freezing cold. Winds are raging at over 48 knots and visibility is near zero. If you parachute in to rescue him, you’ll be risking not only your own life but your rookie partner’s as well. What do you do?

Action movie fans may recognize the loose paraphrasing of the preceding paragraph. It’s borrowed from the 1994 film “Speed.” While that reference may seem odd, the Keanu Reeves blockbuster and Carolyn Matthews’ True Stories of Rescue and Survival: Canada’s Unknown Heroes share a common thread. In both, rescuers are forced to make split-second decisions in life or death situations, all the while treading on a very thin margin of error.

In a society where media has cheapened the term “bravery,” Matthews makes an argument for redefining our society’s heroes. Athletes, musicians and movie stars are among North America’s most common icons, yet often they are undeserving. At best, they are less worthy standard bearers than those who, toiling in obscurity, put themselves in harm’s way on behalf of others: search and rescue (SAR) technicians, soldiers, coast guard, police officers, volunteer rescuers and in some cases, ordinary civilians. For many of them, “hero” is an uncomfortable term. The phrase, “in the line of duty”, may be cliché, but it embodies their humble ethic. Yet, to accept that explanation is to simplify the truth.

Matthews presents 10 accounts of high-risk rescues, with commentary from the rescuers and the people that have been rescued, which demonstrate the unflinching bravery of SAR personnel. In precarious mountain rescue airlifts, treacherous sea salvation efforts and untiring backcountry searches, the rescuers in these tales assume a heavy burden of responsibility.

In chronicling each story Matthews deftly extracts the key details, capturing the urgency and dangerousness of each situation. In “Jumping into the Abyss,” rescuers risk altitude sickness before skydiving into a rocky canyon to extract plane crash survivors. When an eight-year-old boy gets lost in an overgrown forest in “A Child is the World,” police and volunteer searchers spend exhausting 12-hour shifts combing the woods. In “A Navy Diver in the Afghan Desert,” an explosives expert sweeps for landmines in enemy territory, exposed to sniper fire as he works to clear the area for peacekeeping troops. Yes, taking extreme risks and logging long, difficult hours is the job, but this is exactly why the job is so extraordinary and the people who do it exceptional.

Beyond a showcase for unsung bravery, the book also acts as a valuable resource. Each of the 10 accounts in True Stories is a concise case study that instructs as it entertains. Arguably, real life experience is the best teacher, followed closely by simulation exercises. Next to hands-on practice, learning about exceptional situations from expert practitioners can be a highly effective training tool.

Matthews populates each story with helpful sidebars that serve as useful reference material, while acting as primers on technical details like rock climbing terminology, contents of a SAR tech’s survival bag, measuring distance in knots and using GPS. As each rescue unfolds, the unique technical details of the situation challenge a rescuer’s ability to assess risks, think clearly and take action quickly.

Ultimately, the book poses a fundamental question to every rescuer by laying bare the potential dangers inherent in the SAR field. How far are you willing to go; are you willing to risk your life for the sake of others? For rescuers, the answer to that question is one of the most important they will ever make. Those who answer in the affirmative stand to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, insight into the nature of true strength and a greater sense of career fulfillment. The heroes in Matthews’ tales are living proof.

Jeremy Derksen suffered hypothermia while backcountry skiing in Yoho National Park, BC, in his early 20s. This led to an abiding interest in first aid and wilderness rescue. He is a fiveyear member of the Canadian Ski Patrol System and has backcountry experience across western Canada. Ski editor at Vue Weekly Magazine, he has published in Unlimited Magazine, the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald and Regina Leader-Post, and appeared as a ski industry expert on CBC.

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