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SAR NEWS

103 Squadron does triple duty

By Captain Paul Hamlyn - 9 Wing Gander
Department of National Defence

May 28, 2009, started like any other day for members of 103 Search and Rescue (SAR) Squadron, located at 9 Wing Gander, N.L., but it didn’t stay that way. Early in the morning, the SAR stand-by crew was alerted by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax, N.S., about a marine medical emergency. A 67 year-old male was suffering from a suspected heart attack on the fishing vessel Tiffany Emily Eve. Within minutes, the Cormorant helicopter and its crew were airborne and en route to the last known location of the vessel, approximately 85 nautical miles north of St. John’s, N.L. Once on scene, the search and rescue technicians were lowered onto the vessel and stabilized the patient for airlift to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s.

Upon landing in St. John’s, the crew was alerted to another medical emergency – a crewmember onboard the tanker Catherine Knutsen suffering from a suspected stroke. The Knutsen was located 175 nautical miles east of St. John’s and 50 nautical miles south of the oil platform Hibernia. After re-fuelling, the Cormorant crew airlifted the 56-year old male from the tanker and transported him to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s.

As the second mission was unfolding, JRCC Halifax informed 103 Squadron operations of a third medical evacuation required on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, approximately 40 nautical miles south-west of the town of Port-Aux-Choix. A 51 year-old crewmember onboard the fishing vessel Lady Terri had reportedly fallen overboard and had sustained head and leg injuries, and appeared to be suffering from severe hypothermia. This required a second crew and aircraft to be stood up; they were airborne and en route to the Lady Terri within 20 minutes.

“Once on scene, due to large opposing obstacles combined with the small vessel size, we had to blend CF SAR response capabilities with those of the Canadian Coast Guard as the initial hoist insertion was conducted to the CCGV [Canadian Coast Guard vessel] Cape Norman, followed by a risky ship-to-ship ST [search and rescue technician] team transfer,” said Major Stephen Reid, aircraft commander.

“I went down first and somehow ended up entangling in the bow rails, hanging upside down by my knees and backwards on the outside of the bow. Fortunately I was able to disconnect from the cable and crawl back under the railing to a safer position,” said Warrant Officer Dale Robillard, SAR tech.

“Starting an IV in a non-hospital environment is tough under any circumstance and in this case it was virtually impossible,” he said. To insert the IV, SAR tech Sgt Dan Villeneuve got WO Robillard to lie down on the deck and hold the patient’s arm. Sgt Villeneuve then “laid down on his back, sideways to the patient’s head so that he could try to insert the needle...He actually got it!”, said WO Robillard.

Left with no other choice but to extract from the aft deck amidst these obstacles due to the immobility of the patient in the stretcher, the patient was hoisted onto the Cormorant by flight engineer, Warrant Officer Robin using the hover trim control (HTC). This was the first operational use of the HTC on a Cormorant to execute an extraction from a vessel. HTC allows the flight engineer limited control to maneuver the helicopter in a hover via a “joy-stick” located next to the cargo door.

On board the Cormorant, a stabilized and secured patient was airlifted to the Western Memorial Hospital in Corner Brook, N.L.

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Canadian animal heroes honoured for life-saving deeds

This article was amended by the editor for content.

TORONTO - Fiercely determined, courageous and tenacious. These are a few of the characteristics describing Ace the search and rescue dog, one of four animals inducted into the 41st annual Purina Animal Hall of Fame in Toronto on May 4th. Honoured in a formal ceremony, these animal heroes demonstrate how the unique bond between animals and people can ultimately save a human life.

Service Animal of the Year: Ace (Hamilton, ON)

Ray Lau, a Hamilton Police Search and Rescue team volunteer, was pleased to adopt Ace, an energetic and rambunctious Dutch-Shepherd mix. In late December, after extensive SAR dog training, Ace went to work for the very first time searching for a woman who had been missing for three full days outside, following a massive and lengthy snowstorm in Ancaster, Ontario. Ray and Ace were three hours into their search when Ace suddenly bolted away, giving indication that he detected a human scent. Ace ran through the deep snow at full speed for roughly 75 metres. Then, he stopped suddenly, lowered his head, and started barking repeatedly into the snow. Looking down, Ray saw a face peeking out from the snow - the missing woman had been found and to everyone’s amazement, was still alive and conscious. Had Ace not found her when he did, the outcome would have been very different. Ace demonstrated his true purpose that day: to save others just as Ray had saved him.

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French officials recognize SAR crew effort

By Captain Paul Hamlyn – 9 Wing Gander
Department of National Defence

Members of the 103 Search and Rescue Squadron and other agencies – who were involved in a 2008 search and rescue operation of a French vessel – received medals from French officials in recognition of their efforts during a ceremony at the Canadian Coast Guard Station in St. John’s, N.L., on
April 24, 2009.

In his remarks, Jean-Pierre Berçot, prefect of the French island of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, emphasized the importance of the relationship that exists between France and Canada, and the special working relationship with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian military that was highlighted during the Cap Blanc mission.

In the early hours of December 2, 2008, 103 Squadron was informed of an overdue vessel, the Cap Blanc, from Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. The Cap Blanc had departed Argentia, N.L., located on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula, late in the evening of December 1, and was now reported overdue by French authorities.

Within minutes, a Cormorant helicopter and its crew were on their way to the last known position of the Cap Blanc. Upon arriving at the scene, the crew saw a red hull of what appeared to be the front of the Cap Blanc protruding out of the water. The Cap Blanc had capsized. The Canadian Coast Guard Cutter W. Jackman and the RCMP police vessel Murray were at the scene as well. A second Cormorant was launched; the plan was for the SAR techs to dive to the overturned vessel and search for the four crew members who may have still been inside. As the SAR techs were preparing for the dive, the Cap Blanc suddenly slipped into the ocean and sank.

The search for the missing crewmembers went on for three days. Crews from 103 Squadron and 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Greenwood, N.S., along with members of the Canadian Coast Guard and the RCMP, searched the Placentia Bay area with hope of finding the Cap Blanc crewmembers. Unfortunately, the search was officially called off after three days.

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CSBC Annual Symposium 2009

The Canadian Safe Boating Council is holding its annual symposium at the Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa, in Whistler, British Columbia,
September 19-22, 2009. The symposium is a key component of their safe boating program. Participants will be able to attend seminars and presentations, as well as network. For more information on this event, visit www.csbc.ca.

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