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Spring/Summer issue cover
Spring/Summer 2002
Vol 12, #2
.pdf version

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SAR NEWS
Nova Scotia's New Joint Emergency Operations Centre Is Already Proving its Worth
The Enhanced Synthetic Vision System
Minister Approves Merit List for New SAR Projects

SAR PEOPLE
Rescue Specialists

RESCUE
A Cold Valentine's Day Walk with the Dog
Halifax Regional Search and Rescue Photo Library

PREVENTION
SAVE Teams Launched
Training Makes Boating Safer

BOOK REVIEWS
Deadly Frontiers
Survival Secrets

AWARDS
Peaceful Waters Wins the Canadian Safe Boating Award
Ken White's Contribution to BC SAR Recognized

Nova Scotia's New Joint Emergency Operations Centre
Is Already Proving its Worth
Nova Scotia seems to have had its fair share of major emergencies and disasters to deal with - everything from mine disasters to ship explosions to plane crashes. So it seems natural, says Mike Lester, executive director of Nova Scotia's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO), that our province would be a leader in preparing
for emergencies and developing new systems to manage them more effectively.

That is why Nova Scotia is the first province in Canada to open a Joint Emergency Operations Centre that is a partnership among emergency measures organizations
at all three levels of government.

The centre, which opened on 6 September, had its first real test when the EMO was
required to put it into operation on 11 September. The facility co-ordinated activities
related to 8 000 passengers whose aircraft were diverted to Halifax following the terrorist attacks on the United States. Lester, who has been with the EMO (NS) for 14 years, says the centre has significantly increased the organization's ability to manage emergency operations effectively.

An emergency operations centre is a facility for governments to co-ordinate the activities of the many departments and agencies that are brought together when an emergency occurs. It is a crucial element of a successful emergency preparedness program.

In addition to emergency operations, the facility provides emergency training. Courses
range from basic emergency preparedness to advanced emergency operations training.

The centre contains state-of-the-art telecommunications and audio-visual equipment, and a powerful back-up electrical generator ensures that the centre can operate under the most difficult circumstances.

"Emergency preparedness is a responsibility that is shared by all three levels of government in Canada," says Lester. "Responding to a large scale emergency involves a co-ordinated response, so it makes sense to have an emergency operations centre that is shared by emergency measures organizations from municipal, provincial and federal governments. Other provinces have also realized the advantage of having a joint emergency operations centre but we are the first to have one that is shared by all three levels."

WALL OF HONOUR
The opening of the Joint Emergency Operations Centre on 6 September included the unveiling of the Wall of Honour by Jamie Muir, Nova Scotia's Minister responsible for the Emergency Measures Act. The wall is dedicated to people who have contributed to community preparedness and disaster response throughout Nova Scotia's history. During the ceremony, Minister Muir presented the first two awards to be placed on the wall, one to Nova Scotia's Ground Search and Rescue Association and the other to Nova Scotia's Amateur Radio Association.

Placing the plaques on the new Wall of Honour are from left to right Jamie Muir, Minister responsible for the Emergency Measures Act; Charlie Strickland,
president of Nova Scotia's Ground Search and Rescue Association; and Tom Cahoon, president of Nova Scotia's Amateur Radio Association.

Sheliah Bennett,
Communications/ Public Education
Nova Scotia Emergency Measures Organization
bennetsa@ gov.ns.ca

The Enhanced Synthetic Vision System
It's 1997 - You are a search and rescue (SAR) helicopter pilot trying to find and rescue a trapped climber, but rain and clouds have made visibility practically zero. In frustration, you return to base. If only there was some way to have found that person...

It's 2007 - You are a SAR helicopter pilot trying to find and rescue a trapped climber, but rain and clouds have made visibility practically zero. You easily navigate through the horrible weather, locate the climber and make the rescue.

The difference between the scrubbed mission and the successful mission is the Enhanced Synthetic Vision System (ESVS). Although not yet operational, this potentially life-saving system is closer to being in the hands of search and rescue providers.

Approved in July 1998, the ESVS Technology Demonstration Project (TDP) is funded by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the National Search and Rescue Secretariat. The goal is to develop advanced vision systems for SAR military and commercial aircrew.

The ESVS TDP is a joint program that includes the research of agencies within the Department of National Defence (DND), Canadian industry, Canadian universities and member nations of the Technical Co-operation Program, most notably the United States and the United Kingdom.

The objective of ESVS is to develop a "flyable" prototype of an integrated advanced visual system - a union of computer graphics, human vision and sensors, such as infrared and low light cameras. These three components are brought together in a helmet-mounted display (HMD) to give pilots the ability to fly safely and normally under bad (instrument-only) conditions.

The ESVS helmet provides an augmented visual scene to the pilot. This scene is a fusion of images produced on the aircraft and includes a synthetic (computer-generated) image based on a pre-stored, digital database of the mission area; an enhanced image based on the fusion of optical sensors such as infrared; and symbols that provide aircraft and navigation information. These images are combined into a single, understand-able image and presented to the pilot via the HMD.

This photo shows the pilot's left-eye view of the ESVS helmet-mounted display. The enhanced sensor image appears in the smaller square that is superimposed on the right-hand side of the synthetically generated image.

The ESVS TDP has three main SAR objectives:

  • to descend below minimum weather descent altitudes to search for survivors,
  • to maintain a hover in instrument-only conditions, and
  • to safely depart the search area.

LCol Murray Haines of the DRDC's Directorate of Science and Technology is project director and manager for the ESVS TDP. He says that the ESVS will allow SAR aircrews to fly night SAR missions, as well as low visibility missions in conditions such as fog and rain. He adds that all the agencies involved in the project are looking ahead to other uses for the advanced visual system. "Right now, ESVS is meant for getting safely to and from a search area in instrument-only conditions. In the future, we might even be able to locate victims with this technology," he said.

The ESVS could be in the hands of Canadian SAR and military aircrews as early as 2007- 2008.

Since 1 May 2001, pilots from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have been conducting ESVS flight tests between the Ottawa Airport and the Gatineau hills. The side and front bubbles of the Bell 205 helicopter were curtained off, and the pilots wore hoods that allowed them to see only their controls. With ESVS, pilots could see power pylons 15 to 20 kilometres away! With the naked eye, these pylons could not be easily seen from more than a kilometre away.

The ESVS TDP is based on findings of a Canadian Forces human engineering study for SAR helicopters. The study identified gaps in the ability to conduct all-weather SAR helicopter missions, as well as challenges facing SAR helicopter pilots in low-level operations when visibility is poor. Advances in helicopter airframe technology have improved performance, and advances in avionics have improved target localization, but the ability to evaluate terrain accurately remains elusive. Safety is a major concern during low-level missions.

The ESVS TDP is not a specific DND project, but nonetheless, it is informing the air force about new concepts and capabilities in visually coupled systems that could be used in future aerospace systems - not only to conduct SAR operations, but also to counter battle-field obscurants or threats to personnel. Eventually, these advanced concepts could apply to remotely controlled vehicles.

Always on the lookout for new equipment that can save lives, SAR organizations across Canada will be holding their breath in anticipation of ESVS.

Jon Elliott, Co-op student,
Mount Saint Vincent University

Minister Approves Merit List for New SAR Projects
The Minister of National Defence and Lead Minister Responsible for SAR, the Honourable Art Eggleton, has approved an array of projects under the New SAR Initiatives Program (NIF) Ñ from mountain rescue, tornado warnings and drowning research, to ice rescue, ELTs and sea kayaking.

The NIF provides financial support for new search and rescue projects. Its objectives
are to:

  • enhance aeronautical, maritime and ground SAR activities by federal and
    provincial/ territorial organizations;
  • promote and support projects that further the objectives of the National
    Search and Rescue Program, and
  • communicate SAR best practices to everyone involved in search and rescue
    in Canada.

The 2002/ 2003 NIF Merit List was reviewed and rated by a multi-jurisdictional
panel of SAR experts and was agreed upon by the Interdepartmental Committee on
Search and Rescue and the NSS. The NIF has a budget allocation of $8.1 M. Since
1988, it has provided over $113 M to 655 projects.

Some NIF projects will be the subject of presentations at the SARSCENE Workshop in Halifax, 11- 14 September.

Details on NIF.

THE MERIT LIST

  • Safe Mountain/ Glacier Travel and Rescue Program - Campbell River SAR, BC
  • Approval and Qualification of Low Cost 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)
  • Swift Water Rescue Program - Campbell River SAR, BC
  • Volunteer SAR (VSAR) Equipment - Shuswap, BC
  • Enhancing SAR Capabilities - MB
  • Ice/ Water Rescue Equipment - Lake of the Woods SAR, ON
  • Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) Electronic G-Switch
  • Tornado Warning - PSA Campaign
  • Purchase of Gyro-Stabilized Binoculars
  • Trunk Mobile Radios (TMR) for Primary Maritime SAR Resources - NS
  • Equipment and Training Phase 3 - Chatham-Kent SAR, ON
  • Creation of a Provincial Structure for the Management of SAR Volunteers
  • Weather Stations in the Mountains of Haute-Gaspésie
  • Safety and Rescue on Ice - Montréal
  • Geographic Information System (GIS) for SAR - Geographic Mission Module for SAR
  • Drowning Research
  • Automated External Defibrillation (AED) for the CCG
  • Enhanced Response to Major SAR Incidents in the Arctic
  • Establishment of Abitibi-Temiscamingue Regional SAR Capability
  • Establishment of an Integrated System for Managing
  • SAR Volunteers, QC
  • SAR Radar Evaluation Trials
  • Capsized Vessel Survivor Extraction Trainers
  • Training for Trackers - Shuswap Volunteer SAR (VSAR), BC
  • Night Vision Goggles (NVG) for Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Marine Detachments
  • Forecasting of Waves on Hudson Bay and James Bay
  • Ingestion of Grand Bank Surface Current Data into CANSARP
  • Canadian SAR/ Emergency Tabletop Exercise Program
  • Wilderness Wise - Radio and Television Public Safety Service Announcements
  • Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Guard Receiver
  • Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER) Systems Research and Development
  • Emergency Response During Events
  • A Climatology of Hurricanes for Canada: Improving Awareness of the Threat
  • National Water Safety Resources - Facilitator's Guide
  • Sea Kayaking SAR Prevention and Training Program
  • 406 MHz Beacon Tester
  • SARMIS Integration

NIF helps fund projects like this weather station in the Wreckhouse area of Newfoundland.

Still Riding the Crest After 10 Years
They are the paramedics of the sea. They have assisted thousands of people who have found themselves at peril on open water, and have saved many lives. They are called Rescue Specialists - Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) officers and crewmembers who have volunteered to take on extra duties to help fellow seafarers.

CCG crewmembers have long received basic first responder training - first aid and CPR - but 10 years ago, the CCG began to crew its ships with personnel who can do more.

The idea of having paramedics at sea was the brainchild of Capt John McGrath of the Sea Island hovercraft unit (Vancouver). Capt McGrath achieved his goal to train all his crew in industrial/ occupational first aid. Regional management endorsed the idea and supported the full implementation of marine first-aiders throughout the Pacific
region. Increased training became a goal for all Coast Guard units and, inevitably,
the Rescue Specialist (RS) Program came into being. Canada's first Rescue Specialists graduated on 14 February 1992.

Ten years later, Rescue Specialists are still providing essential assistance at sea. From cruise-ship passengers to fishermen, from recreational boaters to professional mariners, thousands of people have been assisted, and many lives have been saved. Currently, the CCG employs more than 300 Rescue Specialists, some of whom graduated from the very first class. Their dedication allows the CCG to fulfil its mandate to provide emergency assistance at sea. Amendments to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979, that came into force in January 2000 included a requirement for initial first aid assistance and became the catalyst for updating the Rescue Specialist program.

The Canadian Coast Guard falls under the purview of Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, which is responsible for all federal maritime search and rescue operations in Canadian waters in co-operation with the Department of National Defence. The CCG ensures the safe and environmentally responsible use of Canada's waters, supports
understanding and management of ocean resources, facilitates shipping, recreation and fishing, and provides marine expertise in support of Canada's domestic and international interests.

The RS program is updated regularly so that the Coast Guard can offer the broadest safety net possible. Rigid hull inflatable operator training (RHIOT) has been refined continually and is now regarded as one of the best courses of its kind in the world. In November 2001, the CCG adopted the Paramedic Association of Canada's National Occupational Competency Profile for emergency medical responders. Doing so will ensure consistency of care between land-based paramedics and Rescue Specialists and between provincial and federal organizations. It will also facilitate the development of a national standard of care.

The Coast Guard strives to ensure that the RS program is kept up-to-date on developments in training and equipment, as well as on services provided by other
emergency care providers. Time and again, Rescue Specialists have saved the day by providing top-notch emergency assistance to seafarers. Anyone who has ever been helped by a Rescue Specialist recognizes the importance of the RS program. It is time to acknowledge the contributions of these highly trained and dedicated professionals.

Rachel Lander, CCG SAR Intern



A Cold Valentine's Day Walk With The Dog
Halifax Regional Search and Rescue (HRSAR) was called out by the Cole Harbour RCMP at 19: 56 on Wednesday, 14 February 2001. A 56-year-old gentleman from Spider Lake, just east of Halifax, had gone for a walk with his dog on some trails in a large wooded area around the lake. His wife reported he had left home around noon and had not returned as expected by 4: 00 pm (16: 00).

The initial RCMP interview revealed the missing man had a heart condition and was familiar with the area. The RCMP I/ C (officer in charge) and HRSAR Search Manager tasked team members to search the trails leading to the lake and the surrounding shores. First to respond, at 20: 30, was an RCMP K-9 team. The dog master and dog had found dog and boot tracks on a trail leading east off the Spider Lake road toward the north end of the lake. Team 1 was tasked at 21: 37 to follow another trail that led east to the southern end of the lake and to sign-cut* the southern shoreline. Team 2 was then tasked to run a trail east and connect to the west side of the lake, then to sign-cut the northern shoreline. Five more teams were tasked out in sequence to run a nearby power line and a quarry, and to investigate connecting trails. Then, a local resident found the missing man's lighter along the trail the K-9 team and Team 2 were running, confirming the direction of travel from the place last seen (PLS).

The weather was overcast, the temperature -5° C and winds were calm. There had
been a lot of snow accumulation - 3 cm had fallen that day, covering a one-metre crusty base. Time became a factor based on a weather forecast of 10 cm of snow changing to freezing rain and rain, with 50 to 60 km winds to start by midnight. This would surely nd the excellent tracking opportunities.

Meanwhile, Team 1 had followed the tracks to Spider Lake and found the man at 23: 05, at a GPS location about 1.5 km from the PLS. The man was reported to be "sleeping on the ice" near the west shore. Unresponsive to stimuli, he was breathing at about 20 snoring breaths a minute, and had a hard-to-find, weak pulse of 64. He had apparently removed some of his clothing. The team also found an empty vodka bottle and several dog tracks nearby. They placed a blanket under the patient and began monitoring him. Team 8, a crew of four snowmobiles, was re-directed to the rescue: with medical first responders they brought a Stokes basket, oxygen kit and hypothermia wrap supplies
and, with Team 2, they arrived on site at 23: 23. Team 1 maintained responsibility for the extraction. A follow-up check of the patient by a medic from Team 2 confirmed the initial assessment: no readable blood pressure, constricted pupils and slow response, cold in all four extremities and clinching in the jaw. The rescuers were unable to insert an airway. The patient was loaded onto the Stokes basket/ sleigh at 23: 30 and, with a full support crew, towed out by snowmobile with frequent monitoring. Just before the trail entrance from the lake, the patient spontaneously opened his eyes and responded to pain. However, 20 minutes later he became unresponsive again, his pupils fixed and dilated, his respiration below eight. At that point, an airway was successfully inserted and his breathing was assisted with a bag-valve mask while the medic straddled the patient on the Stokes basket, tacking behind the snowmobile. About 30 metres into the woods from the ambulance, the patient's condition downgraded to "vital signs absent." Basic life support was started, and a cardiac monitor revealed ventricular fibrillation.

ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) interventions, begun by paramedics at 00: 12, continued en route to the QEII Hospital. At 00: 50, on arrival, the patient had a rectal core temperature of 23°C and was still in fibrillation. Further lowering occurred due to "after drop" while they attempted to warm him in the ER. He was kept alive with manual compressions and ventilation until placed on cardiac by-pass and warmed to a core temp of 37°C, at which point he was successfully converted to a sinus rhythm. Transferred to a critical care unit, he regained spontaneous neurological responses by about 20: 00 on Thursday. He remained on a ventilator, but prognosis was good as he was showing positive brain function even after about three hours of CPR!

While rescuers were focussing on the patient back at the find location, his pup returned. The leader of Team 1 ensured that the dog returned with the rescue crew and it was brought home the next day.

This spectacularly successful case was a real eye-opener to all of us regarding the importance of what we do and the difference we can make by bringing teamwork to the techniques of "search" and the skills of "rescue." Thanks go out to Halifax Regional Search and Rescue, Cole Harbour RCMP and the four local snowmobilers from the community of Spider Lake.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2001
The patient spent two months in hospital and needed post-hospital dialysis, but was weaned off within two months. As of August 2001, he was in and out of hospital with kidney problems, but had suffered no neurological difficulties.

Blair Doyle, Internal Training Officer
Halifax Regional Search and Rescue
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
adventure@ hfx.eastlink.ca

* To cut sign is a tracking term used in searches for missing people. It means to look methodically for evidence of someone's passage through an area, usually along natural barriers such as creeks, banks or roads. It takes training to learn how to cut sign.



HALIFAX REGIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE PHOTO LIBRARY
Gauging the age of the track plays a role when tracking in snow.
Wilderness first responders establish a base camp to treat an injured and hypothermic patient during an all night - long term care - training exercise to await an airlift.
Providing optimum patient care in SAR requires a "wilderness" approach to first response capabilities. Fully equipped 4- wheel drive suburban plays a key role in transportation, communication and logistical support. It takes teamwork to properly evacuate a rescued subject.



SAVE Teams Launched
Ontario Solicitor General David Turnbull and Ontario Provincial Police Deputy Commissioner Maurice Pilon formally introduced three new OPP SAVE teams during a news conference in Gravenhurst, Ontario, on 28 June 2001.

OPP Deputy Commissioner Pilon and MPP Norm Miller (Parry Sound- Muskoka) look on as Ontario Solicitor General Turnbull takes the wheel of one of the new vessels.

The Snowmobile, All-terrain vehicle, Vessel Enforcement (SAVE) teams are dedicated to reducing fatalities and injuries on Ontario's waterways and recreational trails. In recent years, an average of 49 people have died in boating mishaps and 26 have been killed in snowmobile collisions in OPP jurisdiction.

Solicitor General Turnbull assured those assembled, "The new OPP SAVE teams are part of our overall commitment to fight crime and enhance public safety."

Deputy Commissioner Pilon said the teams will be based in North Bay, Orillia and Odessa and that their deployment will complement and enhance existing OPP education and enforcement efforts.

Reprinted courtesy of OPP Review,
Summer 2001, Vol. 36, No. 2



It's Your Life…Preserve It! Take the course…get the card!
Training Makes Boating Safer
The Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations require operators of recreational motor-boats to carry proof of competency on board at all times. This requirement has been in force since 1999 for people born after 1 April 1983. The next deadline will be September 2002 for operators of boats less than four metres in length, including personal watercraft such as jet-skis and seadoos. It will apply to all operators by September 2009.

One way to show proof of competency is to obtain a pleasure craft operator card from a training organization that delivers the operator competency program.

The CCG considers training an essential element in reducing boating incidents. By getting training, boaters will learn key safety precautions, including how to share waterways and how to respond in emergency situations. Experienced boaters have the option of writing an accredited test only. However, boating safety courses provide a great opportunity to review and learn boating safety rules - rules that are vital for even the most seasoned boaters.

Safety is the driving force behind the operator competency program. Our goal is to eliminate boating fatalities by means of training and by promoting safe boating. Boating causes more drownings in Canada than any other water-related activity. Males from 15 to 75 are the main risk group. Most drownings among recreational boaters are related to fishing and hunting on small lakes, using small open boats. And most victims were considered experienced boaters.

Take a boating safety course. You may have to save a life... and it could be your
own!

To obtain the list of accredited training organizations or for more information on boating safety, please call the OBS infoline at 1-800-287-6687 or visit the Canadian Coast Guard Web site at www. ccg-gcc. gc. ca.
André Bégin, Chief of the Operator Competency
Program, Canadian Coast Guard
info@ dfo-mpo. gc. ca



A GALVANIZING LOOK AT SAR IN ATLANTIC CANADA
Deadly Frontiers by Dean Beeby
Terror, desperation, exhaustion - determination, courage and struggle are some of the words Dean Beeby brings to mind in his fascinating and recently published perspective on SAR in Atlantic Canada.

Even for people outside the SAR community, Deadly Frontiers makes for an absorbing read - both because of the dramatic nature of its material and because it is so compellingly written. Based in Halifax, Beeby is the Canadian Press Atlantic bureau chief.

In six riveting chapters, he looks at:

  • the Andy Warburton story - the heart-breaking loss and eventual death of a nine-year-old who walked into the woods of Nova Scotia on Canada Day, 1986,
  • the sinking of a number of ocean vessels off the east coast, including the Ocean Ranger oil rig (1982), the Gold Bond Conveyor (1993), the Marika 7 (1994), the Salvador Allende (1994) and the Flare (1998),
  • the devastating crash of Swiss Air Flight 111 off Peggy's Cove in September 1998,
  • the life of a search and rescue technician (SAR Tech), Canada's fleet of rescue helicopters, and
  • the role of the CCGS Sambro, a 16.25-metre, state-of-the-art lifeboat.

This is one of those books that even when you know the outcome of the stories, you just have to read on because Beeby makes every episode come alive in the details, with rogue waves and EPIRBS, pan-pan-pans, grid searches, psychics, buoys, satellites, spotters, flares, trackers and dogs, despondents and walk-aways, and the clash of technology with mother nature.

He also describes some of the contributions made by Canadians who have devoted
much of their lives to SAR, including Albertan William Syrotuck, one of the founders
of modern ground SAR techniques; child psychologist Ken Hill at St. Mary's University
in Halifax, a leading expert on lost person behaviour; and SAR Tech Sgt Jim Eagle.
At the same time, he asks whether governments have done enough and whether they could do more when it comes to SAR.

If you buy this very readable book for someone else, don't open it yourself, unless
you're prepared to buy another copy.

$18.95 ISBN 0-86492-311-2
Goose Lane Editions, Fredericton, NB
Michael Jackson, NSS



TRAINING - THE KEY TO SURVIVAL
Survival Secrets by Brian Emdin
Everyone should read at least one book on survival techniques, and if you read more than one, you will know that each is just a little bit different. Enter Survival Secrets by Brian Emdin.

During his time at the Canadian Forces Survival Training School, Brian Emdin learned that many people do not survive "survivable" situations because they lack training or are simply not prepared. Survival Secrets presents comprehensive information on outdoor safety and survival training. It focuses on how to prepare for a survival situation and what to do if you find yourself in one.

Emdin's approach to teaching survival skills is to boost confidence by teaching skills that are simple, safe, effective and easy to perform using a drill-like strategy. His key suggestion is to memorize and follow a simple what-to-do plan. Such a plan encourages rapid progress in a survival situation; it will keep people focussed and ensure that they address their survival problems effectively.

The book is organized in a step-by-step format, following each of the necessary components of the survival plan - first aid, fire, shelter, signals, water and food. Each component is presented, and the responsibilities and techniques surrounding them are explained simply and concisely. Survival Secrets includes topics and innovative
techniques that set it apart from other books on the topic. These include taking advantage of adrenaline and using it well, the psychological advantages of starting and maintaining a survival fire, and three tests for dehydration. The book has an extensive chapter on the psychology of survival that examines fear and the will to live. It also presents brief "survival secrets" and is peppered with insightful quotations.

Survival Secrets is an excellent read and an extremely useful teaching tool. The author's drill-like strategy will go a long way in ensuring that people avoid panic when faced with emergency survival.

$24.95, e-book version $11.95
ISBN 0-9694665-5-2
Spotted Cow Press,
Edmonton, Alberta
www. spotted cowpress. ca
Kristina Walker, NSS

Don't tempt fate when she has already indicated that she is in a bad mood
Reviewer's favourite quotation from Survival Secrets (p. 21)



Peaceful Waters Wins the Canadian Safe Boating Award
On 13 January 2002, the Quebec division of the Lifesaving Society won the Canadian
Safe Boating Award for the best Boating Safety Campaign of the year. The Canadian
Safe Boating Council is a group of organizations working together to increase pleasure and security in water activities. It has presented awards for the last four years.

Peaceful Waters brings together a variety of safety elements, including waterway arrangement, training in boat rescue for first responders and the education of boaters and people who live on lakes and rivers. Currently, the residents of Lac Mégantic, Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Asbestos and Rock Forest are benefiting from the project, which is accessible to municipa-lities, community groups and managers of waterways wanting to improve the security of their lakes and rivers.

HOW DO COMMUNITIES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROJECT?
Usually Peaceful Waters starts with a commitment by city council or the authority in charge of the lake or river. Then the Lifesaving Society steps in to help determine eight key messages - four regarding boating safety and four regarding the environment. The messages are adapted to reflect local preoccupations. Signs and flyers are developed to inform residents and boaters about what is expected of them on and around the water, and buoys inform boaters about speed limits and sensitive areas like swimming zones.
Along with the information campaign, Peaceful Waters offers more than 40 hours of training on boating-related topics. People who take the training can answer questions and assist boaters, but their main effect is to prevent accidents and encourage courtesy.

HAS PEACEFUL WATERS MADE A DIFFERENCE?
A resident of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts wrote that for the first time in years he was able
to swim across the bay because the boating speed limit is now 5 km/ h.

HOW IS PEACEFUL WATERS RELATED TO BEST PRACTICES?
Peaceful Waters is founded on preparation and prevention. Preparation means having
local responders with the right training, ready to participate in a safety campaign as well as to save lives. Prevention means that boaters, waterside residents and others understand and adopt agreed-upon behaviour on their waterways. As with any other change in behaviour, it takes time to make it happen and relapses are possible. The presence of qualified personnel helps a lot.

WHO ARE THE PARTNERS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT?
Peaceful Waters required the participation of significant partners - the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) by means of the New Search and Rescue Initiatives Fund (NIF), the Canadian Coast Guard, EducAlcool, Bombardier Recreational Products, Aquam and the Secrétariat au loisir et au sport. Peaceful Waters offers municipalities a great set of tools to help plan the best use of lakes and rivers according to identified needs and priorities.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?
Anyone interested can get a booklet that explains the Peaceful Waters philosophy.
For now, the project is available on the Web at http:// www.sauvetage.qc.ca/prevention, in French; the English version is coming. Contact Diane Théberge at 514-252-3100 extension 3726 or 1-800-265-3093.

Michael Jackson, NSS
mjackson@ nss. gc. ca



Ken White's Contribution to BC SAR Recognized
As part of the 2000 NSS Outstanding SAR Achievement Program, Ken White of Powell River, British Columbia, received special recognition.

LCol Grant Smith, Commanding Officer of 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Comox, presented Mr. White with an appreciation plaque from the National Search and Rescue Secretariat in January 2001.

This special award recognizes Mr. White's many years of tireless volunteer SAR service to the north-western Pacific community. His dedication is very much appreciated.

Thank you, Ken!