2006 Certificates of Achievement awarded

Five individuals from across Canada were honoured for their outstanding contributions to Canadian search and rescue efforts with the distribution of the 2006 Certificates of Achievement. Congratulations to the following recipients for all their hard work and dedication. Each of them has played a hand in making search and rescue in Canada what it is today.

Rick Holmes

The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is one of the most dangerous and remote regions of Canada, but that hasn’t stopped Rick Holmes, Warden Supervisor of the West Coast Trail Unit, from rising to the area’s challenges for over 20 years. Year after year, Rick has shown exemplary leadership skills through the training and mentoring of countless staff in areas such as rescue management and equipment operation.

With an average of 80 to 120 recovery actions annually in the area, Rick has been instrumental in rescue assessment and coordination, judging volatile weather and sea conditions, and ensuring patients’ needs are met. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Rick has continued to take regular shifts with his staff over the years.

Rick plays a vital role in patient survival during that most critical period between locating a victim in this isolated region and evacuating them to a medical facility.

Community relations are extremely important to Rick and he plays an active role as the senior Parks Canada officer communicating with local organizations. To improve the delivery of services in the park, Rick has also developed effective relationships with a number of groups, such as provincial ambulance services and commercial floatplane companies.

He has played a key role in safely handling the increase of incidents and responses along the trail. The area has seen a dramatic drop in response times due to refined rescue techniques; many incidents have been averted due to strong prevention and maintenance programs; and working conditions and equipment have been improved significantly — thanks to the leadership efforts of Rick.

Rick is dedicated to running a successful, first-class public safety operation and, in doing so, has positively affected the lives of many park visitors and staff.

Neil Brewer

Neil Brewer is a respected and sound administrator who consistently prepares his team for field operations. His solid leadership skills and meticulous management style have left their mark on search and rescue in British Columbia.

Neil, who began his SAR career sixteen years ago with the Kent Harrison Search and Rescue Team Society in Agassiz, BC, is very involved in the training and operations of his own team and has assisted with mentoring new SAR managers. A natural leader, Neil assists with complex and large-scale tasks throughout the province, as well as for the majority of his team’s calls.

With a keen ability to solve problems, implement plans, and see them through to a successful end, Neil has a passion for making things better for everyone: He not only seeks a better avenue for his own team, but for all SAR teams. There are many examples of his willingness to improve operations: from developing SAR-specific forms, used across North America, which have helped teams plan and coordinate operations more efficiently, to helping a neighbouring SAR team with their leadership restructuring by teaching them about paperwork requirements, helping them obtain new equipment, and assisting with their business plan. These examples display Neil’s near obsession with making improvements to SAR; for his own team and by volunteering his expertise to others.

Perhaps Neil’s largest tangible contribution to SAR in BC is the Radio Interoperability Program. Neil saw a need and began working on a project that would solve the problem of narrow banding. He was successful: 96 SAR teams throughout BC received radio kits. Many teams were also able to upgrade their radio systems thanks to Neil’s efforts.

Neil’s impact on SAR in BC is immeasurable — he stands out as an exceptional leader, innovator and mentor.

Guy Lapointe

Guy Lapointe’s commitment to search and rescue is not limited to humans — his love for his four-legged friends, and the incredible skills these dogs are capable of, drove Guy to establish a canine SAR organization in 1993. This organization, Sauvetage Canin des Laurentides, is a non-profit organization and one of the most renowned SAR dog team groups in Québec. Guy has participated in 42 search and rescue operations in Québec, New Brunswick and the United States.

A policeman for over 25 years, Guy is a dedicated leader who has been interested in SAR since 1980 when he became a trainer assistant with police dogs that specialize in rescuing people and bomb detection. He assisted police dog handlers with their training — a passion he maintains to this day.

Training has always been a priority for Guy and he takes a personal interest in this field, by instructing his team — people and dogs alike — and others in areas such as GPS, first aid, and forest survival. In 2005 alone, he devoted 776 hours to training, and supervised over 4,500 hours of instruction to his group.

Guy has been involved with several rescue organizations in Québec where he has helped standardize search dog procedures to be in accordance with RCMP standards. As a result of Guy’s efforts, the three main organizations responsible for canine SAR in Québec have adopted common standards.

He also brought the “Hug a Tree and Survive” training program to the region.

Guy seems to eat, sleep and breathe search and rescue. His knowledge and leadership personify his dedication to SAR.

Mathieu Bourdon and Martin Desrosiers

With a marked increase in search and rescue incidents due to the popularity of sea kayaking in the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Mathieu Bourdon and Martin Desrosiers saw a need to address the lack of safety awareness in the sport. As a result, they launched the Awareness and Safety Organization for Sea Kayaking — or l’OPS Kayak de Mer — in 2001. Sponsored by Parks Canada, the organization is the first of its kind in Québec. It is dedicated to the safe practice of sea kayaking and heightens awareness of potential hazards.

The organization provides high-quality education and training services to help prevent incidents on the water. More than 2,300 kayakers have received information at its centre, and its school has certified more than 350 students in safety and Level 1 sea kayaking.

Only a few months after the organization was launched, kayaking incidents were reduced by 50%.

Although they have responded to numerous incidents, there was one particular event in 2004 that truly demonstrated the benefits of their program. Because of their initiatives in safety instruction, including teaching VHF marine radio, the life of a kayaker was saved. The kayaker directly attributes her survival to the instruction she received from OPS about using her radio.

Thanks to the efforts of Mathieu and Martin, OPS has garnered the support of the sea kayaking community, government agencies, as well as other SAR organizations across Canada, to invest in a dedicated SAR training package about how to deal with kayakers in distress.

L’OPS Kayak de Mer continues to display its leadership in safety and prevention. It launched a bilingual video used by many parks across Canada about kayaking safety precautions in cold water.

Through OPS, Mathieu and Martin offer knowledgeable and exceptional services that save lives. They have had a dramatic impact on kayaking incident prevention and the development of SAR services.