November-2013
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CompassThe Magazine of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue November 2013 Bringing Stations Together in the North See page 2 [email protected] 24-hr. Media Line (+1) 778-352-1006 NORTHERN SAREX Search and rescue exercises involving several stations provide valuable training and oppor- tunities for many members to meet each other and share ideas and techniques. This year there were major exercises in both the south and the north. A number of RCM-SAR’s northern stations took part in Northern SAREx (Search and Rescue Exercise) 2013 the weekend of Sep- tember 21-22. Forty-one members took part in the training, including crews from stations 45 Masset, 63 Kitimat, 64 Prince Rupert, 65 Lax Kw’alaams, 74 Gitxaala and 75 Gingolx. It was great to see so many of our members present! The group gathered in Prince Rupert on Saturday morning for an introduction at the hotel prior to proceeding to the station for on-water/shore-side exercises. The activities for the day included joint training scenarios involving search patterns, first aid/shore ex- traction, towing, navigation and communica- tion. All the crews demonstrated their excel- lent boat-handling skills and worked together seamlessly during the various scenarios. On Saturday night there was dinner and an awards and recognition ceremony at Stiles Place Seafood & Grill. They did an excellent job at hosting our group—we even had our own private room overlooking the harbour! On Sunday morning, crews prepared them- selves to get wet! The community pool was booked and lessons were provided on survival Compass 2 November 2013 NORTHERN SAREX A Member’s Perspective The members from RCM-SAR Station 65 Lax Kw’alaams really enjoyed participating in this exercise, which took place in our traditional Tsimshian territory. We enjoyed the on-water training, scenarios, first aid training and chart work. Marko (Kessler, Prince Rupert station leader) did an awesome job setting this all up in Prince Rupert. It was very nice to finally meet some of the staff from Victoria as well. It is a rare opportunity for the northern stations to all get together and share in training and to meet members from different communities who are all in this for the same reasons—to make our waters safer for everyone to use and enjoy. Thanks to the RCM-SAR head office and Station 64 Prince Rupert for the fun-filled weekend—and the craft, emergency duties and GMDSS (Global A huge thank you to trainers Marko Kessler, great food! Maritime Distress and Safety System). There Jason van der Valk, Calvin Grav and Shawn were also mini-lessons offered on chart work Petriw—without your help this weekend Jim Henry and first aid. would not have been possible. Thanks again, Station Leader The weekend was an extremely good op- and hope to see you all at Northern SAREx Station 65 Lax Kw’alaams portunity to learn from each other and share 2014! various training ideas and experiences. Thanks very much to everyone who participated in Cheryl Caldwell this training, including the RCM-SAR office Director of Training staff. Compass 3 November 2013 RESCUERESCUE ROUNDUPS It’s been a challenging month for RCM-SAR crews, who have dealt with everything from missing canoeists to serious medical emergencies. Stations 5 Crescent Beach & 8 Delta—October 8 & 9 Concern for an overdue canoeist led to a multi-day, multi-agency rescue involving RCM-SAR crews from Crescent Beach and Delta. At 7:30 p.m. on October 8, the Crescent Beach station was tasked to search Bound- ary Bay for an overdue canoeist who had departed Centennial Beach in Delta Police and Surrey Search & Rescue. Delta to check a crab trap sometime in the evening on October 7. The Station 8 coxswain Douglas Blais and crewmembers Jeff Engholm, missing person’s vehicle was located at Centennial Beach with no sign Clara Johnson and Shane Meyers departed base in their dedicated re- of the person or vessel. sponse vessel Spirit of Delta IV, tasked to search Mud Bay for a red and Coxswain Morgan Brewster and crewmembers Peter Allan, John white crab trap float that the canoeist was believed to be checking. DelMonte, Glenn Petersen and James Watson departed base 15 min- An extensive search in Semiahmoo Bay, Boundary Bay and surround- utes later aboard Station 5’s dedicated response vessel Vigilant I. They ing areas continued for hours until both stations were stood down just conducted a shoreline search from Crescent Beach Marina to Point before midnight and were advised that they would be tasked again at Whitehorn. first light if the subject was not found during the night. Just after 8:00 p.m., RCM-SAR’s Delta station was also tasked to join The next day Station 5 coxswain Wes Kozak and crewmembers Peter the search, which included the Coast Guard hovercraft Siyay, an RCAF Allan, John DelMonte, Glenn Petersen and Tom Tammpere and Sta- Comorant helicopter and an RCAF Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft from tion 8 coxswain Kevin McIntosh and crewmembers Clara Johnson, 442 Squadron in Comox as well as Surrey RCMP, White Rock RCMP, Robert Maitland and Peter Motzek were tasked to continue the search. Compass 4 November 2013 RESCUE Both stations were stood down shortly after 1:00 p.m., but after the man’s submerged canoe was discovered 6.5 kilometres south of Point Roberts, Station 5 was tasked again and coxswain Wes Kozak and crew- members Morgan Brewster, Patrick Grundle and Sig Kristensen took part in a creeping line search. Later that afternoon, after 24 hours, the search was called off (based Brewster Morgan Photo: on the amount of time the canoeist had been missing and the tempera- ture of the water) and the investigation was handed over to Delta police. Sadly, the canoeist’s body was discovered on October 15 south of the BC coast in American waters. Despite this tragic outcome, the man’s partner thanked everyone involved in the search and recovery and stated that, “He would (have been) amazed at how many people were looking for him. He would be so honoured that he was looked for.” Station 27 Nanaimo—October 11 Friday October 11 turned into an eventful but difficult day for Station 27 Nanaimo after a callout to the waters off an uninhabited and rocky island east of Nanaimo. Just before 3:00 p.m., the Joint Rescue Coor- dination Centre advised Station 27 there was a diver with a possible embolism in the waters off Snake Island, a popular diving spot. Coxswain Mladen Zuvich and crewmembers Mike Banning, Jesse Ferguson, Michael Morin and Paul Mottershead left base within 16 minutes. On the way they passed a commercial diving vessel transport- ing the stricken diver to the Brechin Boat Ramp in Nanaimo. Continuing to Snake Island, the crew was advised by radio that two other divers were involved: the second had surfaced uninjured, and a third was missing. The Station 27 crew started an expanding square search to look for the missing diver or any signs, such as bubbles, that would indicate a diver below. With no success, they started a new search of parallel strips southwest of Snake Island, as well as shoreline searches of Protection and New- Compass 5 November 2013 RESCUE castle islands, Horswell Rock and Snake Island itself. Despite the incredible efforts of Station 27, multiple Coast Guard resources including divers, RCMP, the Nanaimo Port Authority, attend- ing paramedics and a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter, as night fell the missing diver remained lost. The search did not resume Saturday because the water was too deep. “The level of depth is far too deep for our divers or Coast Guard divers to do safely,” Nanaimo RCMP Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong said. Two days later the body of the diver, 38, was recovered by volunteer technical divers (one of whom was Station 27 member Bob McCauley) in extremely deep water off the edge of Snake Island. The Times-Col- onist of Victoria quoted BC Coroners Service’s Barb McLintock: “We were fortunate because we knew basically where he should be, near the wall on Snake Island, and he was. He was down at a depth of 265 feet, which is very, very, deep. You need people with special skills and equip- ment to do that. nautical miles from Masset Harbour (pictured above). Fifteen minutes “We will work with experts to try and determine what went wrong. later, Coxswain Chris Ashurst and crewmembers Sheldon Braman, Vern This could have been a medical event, an equipment event, something Byberg and Collin Camire left Masset Harbour on the station’s vessel not right with the equipment, we don’t know.” NorthWard, bringing a basket stretcher, sterile cooler with ice and an To further add to the tragedy, the first diver, who was carried away extra floater suit in addition to their standard first aid kit. from the scene as RCM-SAR arrived, also died. He was 60. The crew arrived on scene at 5:50 p.m., tied up and provided first aid The deaths of the two men, both American, were the third and fourth to the young fisherman who was in shock with a badly bleeding wound diving deaths off Snake Island since 2008. that had been dressed by the fishing boat crew. RCM-SAR crewmem- Not all rescues are successful, but if a lesson can be learned and expe- ber Collin Camire, an emergency medical responder with BC Ambu- rience gained by survivors or rescuers, then not all is lost. lance, stabilized and packaged the patient for transport and put him in a floater suit and toque.