The southeast chapter of the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) is getting closer and closer to become a reality.
After four consecutive SARSAV meetings, which were held in Carlyle, Carnduff, Estevan and Weyburn, RCMP Cpl. George Riffle, Parkland SARSAV chapter president Dale Hintz and Estevan Police Service (EPS) special constable Katia Bigney had a list of about 220 people, who were willing to become search and rescue volunteers. All together about 250 people attended SARSAV meetings last week.
All people who showed their willingness to participate had different reasons to attend to meetings and to sign up with the association. EPS deputy chief Murray Cowan shared his personal motivation.
“Ten years ago, probably even longer, my grandfather who had Alzheimer’s went missing. He decided he would go back to his farm, which he hadn’t been at for over 20 years. He was at later stages of Alzheimer’s. He jumped in his car, drove himself to where we used to live and, of course, disappeared,” Cowan said.
“We contacted the local volunteer fire department out there. We got together and they did the search. They went out, found car tracks going down a prairie trail, they found the car stuck in the snow and they found footprints. He abandoned the vehicle,” he continued.
The firefighter volunteer team found Cowan’s grandfather face down in the snow bank. He was still alive and soon after he recovered well. But that incident had a big impact on the deputy chief.
“It’s near and dear to my heart and emotional to me to stand here,” Cowan said. “It was -4 that night and the temperature was to drop to -20, so he would never make it that night.”
The conference room at the Western Star Hotel was crowded on the night of the meeting Jan. 23. Besides numerous RCMP, EPS and Estevan Fire and Rescue Services (EFRS) members, there were a few dozens of civilians, who spent their Wednesday night listening to the presentation made by Riffle and Hintz. They explained what SARSAV is, how it operates and why it’s important to have it set in the area.
“When person goes missing the call comes to the police, they do investigation and decide on what kind of resources they will need,” said Riffle. “Nobody ever wants the phone to ring that somebody is missing, but we want to be prepared, we want to be ready, so when somebody is having that bad day, we are ready to help them and respond properly.”
Hintz underlined that people in Saskatchewan and in Canada in general are very generous and giving, but when it comes to search and rescue operations the willingness to help is not enough. The training and knowledge is crucial in such cases and that’s what SARSAV does for its members.
Those willing to join the chapter and to have a capacity to participate in searches would need to go through a basic training course. It will be 40 hours long, and likely will be set as a two-weekend intense course. All costs will be covered by the organization, which will get support from other Saskatchewan chapters.
Riffle and Hintz both emphasized that the association is always seeking people with different sets of skills and abilities.
“Maybe not everyone can get called out to walk through the valley, walk down the hills to do the search, but there is somebody who can be on our finance team to help raise funds to buy jackets for the team,” Hintz said.
SARSAV also runs a program called Adventure Smart, which aims to educate kids about outdoor safety, and they are constantly seeking volunteers to run presentations in schools.
There is a role for every person, yet, to join one has to be at least 19 years old. SARSAV also requires criminal record and vulnerable sector checks.
Members who don’t plan to go on physical searches, won’t need to take the training and will be able to support the chapter in many other ways. The organization will accept the valid training certificates received independently anywhere in Canada.
As of recently, SARSAV falls under the public safety umbrella, which means that they can utilize resources of other organizations in the sector. Jarett Trumier, rapid responder with the Emergency Management and Fire Safety (EMFS) of PA, explained how the organization might help SARSAV, as well as other first responders.
“We have four people on call 24/7. We do anything in the province that becomes bigger than the local jurisdiction can handle. So we do anything from fire to train derailments and rescue, hazmat (hazardous materials). Basically anything in the province that can’t be handled by the local organization,” Trumier said. “We are usually known as the guys with the black trucks and all the toys.”
EMFS has a lot of equipment, such as drones, all-terrain vehicles, big trucks and so on, which can be used by other organizations of the public safety sector and which becomes very helpful when it comes to search and rescue operations.
SARSAV is not just a job or an organization, it’s a community where members look after one another, socialize and help each other. There is community engagement and team building exercises.
SARSAV operates as a part of SARVAC - Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada. There are currently 18 chapters in Saskatchewan.
“Usually the rule of thumb that SARSAV likes to go by is a 100-km radius for a chapter,” Hintz said.
And so far the broad southeast region was falling behind, which hopefully will change soon. As Bigney said, those who signed up will receive the first emails already this week.
The next goal is to have the southeast chapter registered in March.
Those who will decide to join the southeast Search and Rescue chapter or who want to have more information, can text or call EPS Special Constable Katia Bigney at 306-483-8615 or send an email to [email protected].
