SARSCENE 2000 Un Pour Tous, All For One was held from October 11 - 15
in Laval, Quebec. A prime example of collaboration and cooperation,
SARSCENE 2000 brought together search and rescue (SAR) providers from
across Canada and the world, and from all areas of search and rescue,
including air, maritime, ground, and space.

For the first time SARSCENE coincided with the Cospas-Sarsat Seminar
(an international satellite system for search and rescue), in addition to
featuring educational presentations, outdoor demonstrations, and
intertwining a social twist. The workshop managed to surpass last year's
attendance record, with 807 participants (including 69 presenters) from
around the world, providing members of volunteer, provincial/territorial and
federal SAR organizations the opportunity to share their knowledge and
experience.

Each year, the NSS partners with a regional volunteer group. This year's
partner was the Volunteer Group Sauvetage Canada Rescue (SCR) with
help from other members of the Quebec and Canadian SAR community.
The week had a tremendous introduction, as a series of pre-workshop
training sessions and the annual meetings of several SAR organizations
were held in the days before the opening of the workshop (October 9th and
10th). The pre-workshop training sessions included:

• Tracking, with Wayne Merry of Context North and Everett Savary of
  Halifax Regional Search and Rescue
• SAR Incident Management, with Rick Lavalla of ERI International,
  Richard Smith of ERI Canada, Dave Perkins of the UK Centre for
  Search Research, and Chris Long, Washington State SAR Program
  Manager
• Night Searching, with Mike Doyle and Doug Doyle, Ken Snider and
  Mike McEwan of SARBC
• Disaster Dog, with Louis Coste, COSI and François Rostelland,
  National Training Centre for K9 Search and Rescue Teams, Briaçon,
  France

Organizations that held their annual meetings included:

• The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG)
• The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA)
• Parks Canada

The 4th annual SARSCENE Games were the feature event for Day 1 of
SARSCENE 2000. Held at the Parc de la nature in Laval, the games
brought eleven teams from across Canada and the United States together to
compete in various SAR events including the yearly mystery event, which
simulated a Collapsed Structure Extrication, underneath an outdoor pool. In
first place was a mixed team with members from Parcs Canada, Quebec
Region, and the Volunteer Group Sauvetage Canada Rescue (SCR). Gold
medal winners of the past two years, Marathon Emergency Services, took
second, and an all-volunteer team with members from the Canadian Coast
Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) and SCR, placed third.

The afternoon featured a SAR Management Challenge, operated and
organized by the U.S. Emergency Response Institute International. SAR
Rescue 40 from Ohio won the event, which was based on ERI's six steps in
managing a SAR incident.

Running alongside the games was the first ever K9 Games with a total of 8
handler and dog teams competing in various competitions including, an
article search, Laval Squares (several large boxes, one of which contains a
human), and Navigation Obedience. The big winner was Mario Lavigne of
Sauvetage Canada Rescue des Laurentides and his two dogs Jazz, a
German Shepherd, and Sol, a Labrador Retriever, which came in 1st and
3rd, with Cliff Neumann of SCR and his dog Millie taking 2nd place.

A mini-orienteering course, displays, captive grounds and activities, featured
with the games, made the event both enjoyable and challenging for
participants and spectators alike.

The Games Awards were presented during the workshop Meet and Greet,
giving competitors a chance to celebrate their victories and allow all
workshop participants to catch up with old Friends and acquaintances,
while having the first glance at this year's trade show exhibitors. Another
enjoyable social activity was the Volunteer Appreciation Night, proving that
SARSCENE is more than an exchange of search and rescue ideas and
education.

Thursday, October 11th, began with the workshop opening ceremonies and
a theme presentation on Cospas-Sarsat. Traditional bagpipes and drums
opened the ceremonies by leading a flag procession with flags from all of
the countries and provinces represented at the workshop. The Eastern Door
Dancers performed a traditional Mohawk dance, with one of their elders
leading the attendees in a prayer. Many important dignitaries gave
welcoming remarks, including Madame Lise Thibault, Lieutenant Governor of
Quebec.

The theme presentation was "The Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System: Lifeline
to Survival", summarizing the organization's mandate and functions.
Following the presentation, all workshop participants were treated to a
complimentary lunch hosted by the trade show exhibitors, before heading to
the afternoon presentations.
Popular workshop presentations included:

• Jim Stanton, Jim Stanton and Associates: Media and Crises: Feed
  the Beast
• Rick Goodman, New Mexico State Police: Snapshot: The Future of
  SAR

In addition to educational presentations, SARSCENE 2000 was home to
various displays and demonstrations on and off site. Along with the Games
and exhibits in the trade show, there was a rappelling demonstration down
the side of the Sheraton by l'École Nationale d'Escalade du Québec
specialyse and the Ottawa Fire Department Rescue Team. At the same
time, a hovercraft demonstration, onshore rappelling, a helicopter rescue
and an amphibious aircraft, were just a few of the demonstrations
incorporated into the St. Lawrence River SAR Demo Cruise, attended by
hundreds of participants.

This year's trade show was the largest yet with a record 61 companies in
attendance. Many exhibitors donated goods to the Silent Auction with
approximately 108 items on the auction block, and resulted in raising about
$3500 to support the members of the Quebec search and rescue
community.

The 2000 Outstanding SAR Achievement Awards Banquet honoured Phillip
E. Jennex, President of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association
(CASARA), Nova Scotia, and Program Coordinator with the Canadian Coast
Guard College. Phillip Jennex's work with SAR in Canada crosses
jurisdictions and spans the various levels, from instructing and participating
in emergency situations, to acting to improve the preventative methods
currently established.

Certificates of Achievement were awarded to:

• Jean Maillette, Superintendent, SAR Training, and Senior SAR
  Manager, Canadian Coast Guard College, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
• Wayne Merry, Context North, Atlin, British Columbia
• Greg Ursel, CASARA, Deputy Zone Commander for Calgary, Alberta
• Moose Factory Search and Rescue (MFSAR), Moose Factory,
  Ontario
• Scott Brickwood and Bonnie Hood, Peace Regional Search and
  Rescue (PR SAR), Alberta

The Awards Banquet and SARSCENE 2000 came to a close when Mr.
William Slaughter, Executive Director of the NSS, passed the flag to Debbie
Brewster of Whitehorse District SAR, which will partner with the Yukon
Emergency Measures Organization and the NSS to host SARSCENE 2001,
in Whitehorse, Yukon. The workshop will run from September 12-16, and it
looks to be equally as insightful and enjoyable as SARSCENE 2000 was for
this year's participants.