Marine Search and Rescue Groups Unite in Burgoyne Bay, Leaving Onlookers Curious

Salt Spring Island, Dec 15 — If you were near Burgoyne Bay last Saturday morning, you might have noticed several search and rescue groups in action on land and on the water. The sight of these dedicated teams working together (in the wind and rain) likely piqued your curiosity about what was happening.

Three marine search and rescue (RCMSAR) organizations, including Salt Spring Island’s RCMSAR25, Brentwood Bay’s RCMSAR31, and Cowichan Bay’s RCMSAR34, as well as Salt Spring Island’s Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR), converged in Burgoyne Bay near Daffodil Point for a collaborative Search And Rescue Exercise (SAREX). Beyond the intrigue of the moment, these exercises are vital in preparing the volunteers for real-life emergencies, ensuring swift and effective responses and strengthening inter-agency communication and cooperation.

The SAREX involved complex, true-to-life scenarios: shoreline searches, medical crises, and rescue missions. The exercise started with RCMSAR25 discreetly positioning two rescue mannequins along Burgoyne Bay's shoreline. Station Leader Andrew Ross Collins elaborates:

“After taking a GSAR communication liaison on board, we assumed on-scene command and tasked the other units with a shoreline search. Upon locating the mannequins, GSAR administered first aid, then worked with the RCMSAR units to transport the patients via boat back to the government dock in Burgoyne Bay.”

Wind and rain was a considerable factor in the training exercise.

“Inter agency training is critical for rehearsing possible real life scenarios and identifying areas for improvement in inter agency cooperation. In particular, increased familiarity with other agencies' command structures and communications systems leads to better operational outcomes in the field such as saving lives and reducing suffering" affirms Salt Spring Island’s GSAR Manager, Conrad Bowden.

Those who observed these exercises witnessed the dedication and skill of these volunteers, serving as a reminder of the continued efforts these search and rescue organizations put forth to protect local communities.

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RCMSAR assists vessel near Penelkut - May 8th - training session leads to hands-on experience

RCMSAR members, from left, Stella Pingle, Mike Murphy, Kaylee Lapierre, Erin Kelly and Paul FitzZaland respond to a tasking on Wednesday, May 8. Pingle, Lapierre and Kelly are junior members who were training with regular unit members at the time.

RCMSAR members, from left, Stella Pingle, Mike Murphy, Kaylee Lapierre, Erin Kelly and Paul FitzZaland respond to a tasking on Wednesday, May 8. Pingle, Lapierre and Kelly are junior members who were training with regular unit members at the time.

Junior members with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Unit 25 Salt Spring were pulled into duty unexpectedly during a training exercise last Wednesday, May 8th.

Coxswain Paul FitzZaland, along with regular crew members Mike Murphy and Paul Zolob, were heading out into Stuart Channel on a training session with junior members Erin Kelly, Kaylee Lapierre and Stella Pingle when they were tasked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria to assist a vessel that had run aground in Clam Bay on the east side of Penelakut Island.

The crew arrived on scene to find a 45-foot sailboat aground close to the shore. The three people on board were not hurt and the vessel was not damaged or taking on water. RCMSAR 25 was asked by JRCC to stand by until a commercial tow operator from Nanaimo arrived on scene to help tow the boat out to deeper waters.

The unit’s junior members are Grade 11 and 12 students from the work experience program at Gulf Islands Secondary School. They started training to become crew members in February.

“This unexpected tasking was an opportunity for them to experience how a fast-response vessel operates when responding to a marine emergency,” said RCMSAR 25 spokesperson Mike Murphy.

A grant from the Salt Spring Foundation makes possible the junior members’ training by funding the fuel and equipment for their program.

For full Driftwood Article - click here.

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