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NORTHERN WORKSHOP
By Louise Pilloud
Video Highlights
PERSONAL TOUCH
You would think that in a remote territory, a land of mountains and rivers
less touched by time and civilization, terror would not find you, that
somehow you would feel protected. I will always remember SARSCENE
2001 in Whitehorse, Yukon, because of its success but also because of
the
impact of the tragic events of 11 September in the United States.
A sense of doom and disbelief took hold of us as we woke up the terrible
news of one World Trade Center tower down, then the other, then a wing
of the Pentagon. An emergency 1-800 line was established by the Yukon
Emergency Measures Branch to deal with callers on the verge of leaving
or on their way to the workshop. In Ottawa, the phones were ringing off
the hook with questions on the workshop and offers of assistance to New
York SAR personnel. Just as the SARSCENE 2001 Coordinating Committee
was gathered for the last time before the workshop, they were evacuated
swiftly from the EMO building which was near the airport where two Korean
airliners, suspected of being highjacked, were forced to land with an
escort of U.S. fighter planes.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
The 11 September events happened the day before the SARSCENE 2001
Games and Workshop registration were scheduled to open. Many
delegates, presenters and exhibitors were stranded in airports across
Canada and the United States, and could not make it to SARSCENE.
Although the number of participants who would attend and the number
of
speakers and exhibitors who could make it were still unknown, the NSS
decided to go ahead as planned.
SARSCENE 2001
It was the first time the SARSCENE workshop was being held in
Canada's
territories as reflected in the theme "North of 60°". The
Yukon has a
population of 30,000 and most people live in its capital, Whitehorse.
As
more and more Canadians are participating in outdoor activities, the need
for
SAR expands every year and the Yukon is no exception. Located in an area
of natural beauty with a spectacular landscape, Whitehorse is a great
setting for the practice of wilderness sports and activities, and an ideal
location for a SAR workshop.
The hosts this year were the Whitehorse District Search and Rescue
Society, in collaboration with the Yukon EMO, the City of Whitehorse,
RCMP "M" Division, DND and Parks Canada. The workshop took place
between 12-15 September, 2001 at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.
The main hotels were the Westmark Whitehorse, the Westmark Klondike
and the High Country Inn.
PRE-WORKSHOPS/MEETINGS
Two pre-workshop sessions were held: low-angle rope rescue on Monday
and Tuesday with Captain Al Thomas Jr., Special Operations, Heavy Urban
SAR, Toronto Fire Services; and a four-day dog clinic with WDSAR's Kirstie
Simpson.
SARSCENE GAMES
The SARSCENE Games were a great success as usual with five teams
challenged by stations involving navigation, medical first response, SAR
planning, clue awareness, mystery (team building) and relay events involving
a rescue disc throw, knot-tying exercise and litter carry. The winning
team
was the Foothills SAR from Turner Valley, Alberta. The Canine Games were
to be held this year in conjunction with the SARSCENE Games but
the
events of 11 September took front stage and many dog teams left
Whitehorse for New York or were tasked to support the local airport
situation.
MEET & GREET
The Meet & Greet reception went well and allowed our delegates to
mingle
and network freely before the workshop activities of the following days.
The
Challenge Games cup was presented to the winning team (Foothills SAR),
and medals were awarded to Marathon Emergency Services in second
place, Parks Canada/Sauvetage Canada Rescue in third place and in fourth
place the Make-up Team consisting of two SAR techs, one CASARA
representative and a local taxi driver. The WDSAR Society received the
Yukon traditional Red Lantern Award for being last in the competition.
SOURDOUGH PANCAKE BREAKFAST
The workshop started with a delicious traditional sourdough pancake
breakfast with the help of the VIP flippers: Yukon Senator Ione Christensen,
Nova Scotia RCMP Constable Tim Nicholson, Washington State SAR
Coordinator Chris Long and others. Senator Christensen was most
impressive when she showed up early and asked where the kitchen was as
she removed her coat and scarf, donned a small waist apron and started
to
mix ingredients together without getting a speck of flour on her dark
green
dress!
OPENING CEREMONY
The opening ceremony followed with a performance by the Tagish Kwan
dancers from Kwanlin Dun First Nation and a touching, spontaneous prayer
calling on God to help the people of New York, especially SAR providers.
The politicians came next: Senator Christensen, Whitehorse Mayor Ernie
Bourassa, Yukon Tourism Minister Sue Edelman, followed by our WDSAR
host Debbie Brewster and NSS Louise Pilloud on behalf of Jean Murray,
NSS Executive Director.
A special presentation took place in recognition of the International
Year of
the Volunteers. Senator Christensen presented certificates on behalf of
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to the following Yukon SAR volunteers:
Bruce
Harder from Carcross Area Rescue Team Association, Tom Matthews of
Carmacks SAR, Peter Upton of the Kluane SAR team, Calvin Hoogland of
Mayo SAR and Gail Nardi of WDSAR.
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
After the opening ceremony, four simultaneous educational sessions went
on for three days. Thanks to many participants' last-minute offers to
substitute for absent presenters, we were able to continue with a full
program including a variety of new topics. These offers saved the workshop
and revived the program with many new and interesting themes, most on
the
spur of the moment.
Chris Long, Rick LaValla and Rick Goodman agreed to reformat their usual
pre-workshop on search management course, and drew a large crowd.
Toronto Firefighter Al Thomas also commanded wide interest with his timely
Heavy Urban SAR presentations. Local first-time presenter Bob Daffe
(Tatshenshini Expediting Co.) proved an excellent speaker with his theme
"Training Saves the Rescuer". Other much appreciated workshops
were
David Brewer's (BC PEP) presentation on how to conduct a review of SAR
incidents, David Taylor's (Government of Northwest Territories) presentation
on the COSPAS/SARSAT emergency locator beacon system and Monica
Ahlstrom's (SARVAC) presentation on Winnie-the-Pooh and SAR. Our
international friends were also part of the workshop. Belgian policeman
Nico
de Baene managed to make it from Brussels and described the Belgian
approach and system on missing persons. Seppo Wuori described Ground
SAR in Sweden.
TRADE SHOW
We were able to go on with a reduced trade show with a dozen exhibitors,
including one from the United Kingdom. The exhibitors were Globalstar
Canada Satellites, Univisor, Canadian Red Cross, CASARA Yukon,
Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliaries, Environment Canada,
Public Works and Government Services Canada/Government
Satellite Services, Rocky Mountain Tents, Environment Canada,
WDSAR, and the Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue Association.
The Exhibitors' Luncheon was set between two presentation rooms and the
trade show to increase traffic and interaction in the trade show area.
The
trade show was open to the public on Saturday morning.
SPONSORS
Many local organizations and shops contributed to the success of
SARSCENE 2001. Some donated food for the sourdough pancake
breakfast; others provided items for the silent auction. A grant from
the City
of Whitehorse help offset the cost of the shuttle service to and from
Mount
MacIntyre.
SAR DEMOS
On Saturday, the delegates and the public were invited to attend the SAR
demos on the shore of the Yukon River. Tatshenshini Expediting Co., gave
explanations on land followed by demonstrations in the water of versions
of
fast water rescue techniques, including a canoe T rescue, a raft flip
rescue,
a kayak rescue and some practical rope rescue demonstrations. The
Carcross Area Rescue Team Association, on board a Zodiac craft,
demonstrated how to position a crew strategically in a craft to allow
safe
and quick turns while speeding toward a victim. Finally, Captain Al Thomas
Jr., Special Operations, Heavy Urban SAR, Toronto Fire Services, presented
a low-angle rope rescue demo, using the Foothills SAR team in simulation
roles.
HOST SOCIAL EVENINGS
Two social activities were organized by WDSAR and were well attended.
In
the true tradition of northern hospitality, we were invited to participate
in the
Evidence Search, an original evening scavenger hunt where teams were
directed to certain downtown establishments and asked to gather
information or items, with prizes going to the winning teams.
The Volunteer Appreciation Night took the form of Days of the '98 Gold
Rush
Review, with clocks turned back to the days of the Klondike Gold Rush
in
1898. Participants rented period casino-style costumes and joined in for
a
show with the local Snowshoe Shufflers acting as masters of ceremony.
The local 2001 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Queen Samantha Mason
signalled the start of the SAR Sam competition which featured animal calls,
a fashion show, chain saw chuck, log sawing, snowshoe relay and other
events. The SAR Sam competition was won by Sûreté du Québec's
Inspector Robert Poeti. Delegates danced through the night until closure
of
the saloon.
NSS AWARD AND CLOSING BANQUET
At the NSS awards and closing banquet, Yukon Premier Pat Duncan and
Ms. Joanne MacDonald, a representative of the Council of the Yukon First
Nations, addressed the delegates. Since only one of the achievement
certificate recipients was able to attend, only a partial awards ceremony
was held. A full ceremony is planned at a later date with the Honourable
Art
Eggleton, Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, in attendance. The closing
ceremony was orchestrated to surprise everyone. Making a grand entrance
at the sound of the pipes, the President of the Nova Scotia Ground SAR
Association Charlie Strickland and Nova Scotia RCMP Constable Tim
Nicholson were resplendent in their traditional costumes and invited us
to
attend SARSCENE 2002 in Halifax, 11-14 September 2002. Debbie
Brewster as 2001 host officially passed on the flag to next year's host.
2001 OUTSTANDING SAR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The 2001
Outstanding SAR Achievement award went to Jeff Eggleton, a
member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary and of the Canadian Power
and Sail Squadron. The certificates
of achievement went to Russell Craig
Dunn, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (Pacific), Victoria, BC; Sandy Guse,
Lakehead SAR, Thunder Bay, ON; Guy Kerr, British Columbia Provincial
Emergency Program, Victoria, BC; William D. Reid, Yukon Civil Air SAR
Association (CASARA), Whitehorse, YT, and David Taylor, Dept of
Resources, GNWT, Yellowknife, NWT.
OVERALL
Despite the challenge of the New York tragedy, the first SARSCENE
workshop North of 60° was a tremendous success. We had about 200
participants and were able to fill all the speaking slots in the program
thanks
to those who offered to substitute for speakers unable to attend. We were
able to present a trade show with a dozen exhibitors. We went ahead with
all our planned activities, including the social events provided by our
hosts.
The smaller number of participants meant a more intimate and cozy
atmosphere, a feeling of truly being among friends and family. It was
also a
reflection on how things are done in the Yukon, where people are
accustomed to pulling together in difficult times and fulfilling their
obligations.
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