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Search and Rescue Community Honours its Own in St.John’s

St. John’s, N-L, October 17, 2008 - The National Search and Rescue Secretariat is pleased to announce the awarding of the 2008 Outstanding Search and Rescue Achievement Award. This award is given annually to honour a leader in the field of search and rescue across Canada.

Other members of the search and rescue community will also be honoured by receiving Certificates of Achievement for their service in search and rescue. The awards will be presented tomorrow evening, Saturday, October 18, by Géraldine Underdown, Executive Director of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS), at a ceremony in St. John’s, N-L.

The ceremony will be held in conjunction with SARSCENE 2008, the annual search and rescue conference hosted by the NSS and co-hosted this year by the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association (NLSARA) and Department of Justice.

Silvie Montier is being awarded the Outstanding Search and Rescue Achievement Award. She is being honoured for her years of dedication to search and rescue (SAR) dog training in Canada. Silvie and her dog, Dante, have participated in many SAR missions here in Canada. Their expertise and teamwork have also been called upon in support of SAR operations in Algeria, Mexico, Haiti and Peru. They have both brought SAR dog training in Canada to an international standard.

Five individuals and two organizations are also receiving Certificates of Achievement in recognition of their long-term commitment and contribution to the field of search and rescue ( please visit the Outstanding SAR Achievement Recipients and Certificates of Achievement Recipients for background information).

Géraldine Underdown, Executive Director of the NSS, said; “Tomorrow night we will honour some remarkable people. They reflect the traits of dedication, compassion and courage that are to be found throughout the equally remarkable Canadian search and rescue community.”

The NSS is an agency of the federal government that reports directly to the Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, the Minister of National Defence. Created in 1986, the Secretariat manages and coordinates the National Search and Rescue Program (NSP) by working with various levels of government, police and emergency services and volunteer SAR organizations across Canada.

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