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Avalanche safety in Canada - A twenty-five year perspective

By Clair Israelson

As we celebrate the Canadian Avalanche Association's (CAA) successes of the past twenty five years we gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support provided over the years by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) and their SAR New Initiatives Fund (SAR NIF) program.

As I travel and meet with avalanche colleagues from countries around the world I am often reminded that SAR NIF is unique in the world; a federal government program specifically designed to fund development projects to enhance search and rescue capacity, including accident prevention programs. Our international colleagues are envious of Canada's SAR NIF; they recognize that it takes money to develop world class avalanche safety programs, and in Canada we are extremely fortunate that the SAR NIF exists to serve this very real need.

Since 1991, the SAR NIF has provided nearly $4 million in research and development funding for CAA and Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) avalanche safety projects. SAR NIF is by far the largest single financial contributor to development of avalanche safety programs in Canada and I believe that without this federal initiative Canadian avalanche programs would still be in the dark ages. SAR NIF projects require a federal agency to support the project and oversee the work. Over the years Michel Villeneuve, national public safety specialist for Parks Canada has served in this role for many CAA - CAC projects, and we are deeply indebted to him for his unflagging assistance. More recently the RCMP has also served in this support role for CAA SAR NIF projects, and we look forward to continuing this mutually beneficial relationship.

On behalf of the entire Canadian avalanche community and all Canadians that enjoy an active, outdoors lifestyle I wish to publicly celebrate the significant contributions that the National Search and Rescue Secretariat, the SAR NIF and cooperating federal agencies have made to avalanche safety in Canada.

SAR NIF projects administered through the National Search and Rescue Secretariat and cooperating federal agencies have produced the following outstanding results:

• Establishment of the CAA office in Revelstoke in 1991 to develop federal, provincial and industrial information exchanges (InfoEx), and to provide public avalanche information to backcountry users in western Canada.
  
  
• Development and publication of Observation Guidelines and Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack and Avalanches, a national standard for data collection used by avalanche workers and researchers in Canada.
  
  
• Development and publication of Land Managers Guide to Snow Avalanche Hazards in Canada, a technical handbook to assist land managers to recognize and mitigate avalanche risk on Canadian public lands.
  
  
• Development and publication of Guidelines for Snow Avalanche Risk Determination and Mapping in Canada, a national technical standard for use by engineers, geoscientists, and other professionals to calculate avalanche risk and design avalanche defenses.
  
  
• Development of technical training courses and training materials for avalanche workers in Canada. In the past decade, approximately 4000 students have taken these courses, and these Canadian programs are now being adopted in New Zealand, Japan and Iceland.
  
  
• Development of avalanche safety training courses for non-professional recreation. These programs are available in all regions of Canada, and since 1995 more than 25,000 students have taken these two or four day programs.
  
  
• Publication of Avalanche Accidents in Canada, Volume 4 1984-1996, an analysis of avalanche accidents and the factors contributing to those events. This publication serves as an invaluable learning tool for accident prevention. More than 5000 copies have been distributed.
  
  
• Production of "Beating the Odds" a video (in 30 and 60 minute versions) for public avalanche awareness and education. Thousands of viewings to date (estimate only).
  
  
• Publication of Backcountry Avalanche Awareness and Sledding in Avalanche Terrain. These two handbooks provide avalanche awareness and education for people involved in back country recreation. More than 38,000 copies have been circulated across Canada and around the world.
  
  
• Delivery of public avalanche awareness programs and development of professional avalanche safety capacity in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador.
  
  
• Development of an avalanche decision framework (ADFAR) to generate scientifically valid "process" for personal avalanche safety decisions.
  
  
• Development of an internet based avalanche accident prevention, response and rescue training program for on-site survivors. Few avalanche victims survive more than 30 minutes of burial. This program trains the victim's companions to conduct an effective rescue.
  
  
• Facilitation of interagency coordination and consulting services to establish the Canadian Avalanche Centre.

Beginning April 1, 2007 the SAR NIF will fund two new projects:

• ADFAR 2 will further develop scientifically valid decision frameworks for amateur recreationists with advanced experience and knowledge.
  
  
• eLearning for Avalanche SAR will develop on-line training for professional and volunteer avalanche SAR responders and SAR managers across Canada. This training program will also benefit security personnel for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

With SAR NIF project funding, cooperation from federal agencies such as Parks Canada and the RCMP, and the expertise of members of the Canadian Avalanche Association, world class materials and programs for avalanche accident prevention have been developed. We look forward to continuing to work with the National Search and Rescue Secretariat and other federal agencies to improve search and rescue and avalanche accident prevention activities throughout Canada in the years to come.

Clair Israelson is the Executive Director of the Canadian Avalanche Association.

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