LOCATOR Newsletter. The. Regional Exercise - in Grand Valley March 10, prepares to head out on exercise Brandon, March 10, 2012

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1 The Official Newsletter for SEARCH & RESCUE MANITOBA (SARMAN) The V O L U M E UPC O MIN G SA RMAN EVENT S Numerous Regional Exercises and ICS 200 courses are being planned for 2012 Book yours today... LOCATOR Newsletter Produced by the OFFICE of the FIRE COMMISSIONER 1 I S S U E 3 M A R C H / A P R I L Regional Exercise - in Grand Valley March 10, 2012 SARMAN Advisory Council Meeting June 21, 2012 in Winnipeg INS IDE: Upcoming events 2 North Interlake 3 Regional exercise Grand Valley 4 Regional exercise New Volunteer GSAR Insurance 5 Tasking Numbers 8 Search Tips 9 Health Warning 12 Produced by the: OFFICE of the FIRE COMMISSIONER Mapping and Compassteam refresher SARMAN prepares to head out on exercise Brandon, March 10, 2012

2 Search and Rescue Manitoba (SARMAN) The SARMAN Advisory Council meets several times a years to coordinate Provincial Search and Rescue activities HISTORY In Manitoba all search and rescue activities are performed by a province wide organization called Search and Rescue Manitoba or SARMAN. This organization was initiated because of a shared vision between the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.) D - Division and our provincial Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). Their submission of a joint application for funds to the National Search and Rescue Secretariat s, (NSS) New Initiative Fund (NIF) was successful and as a result, a comprehensive search and rescue program for the province was born. The involvement of Search and Rescue volunteers was set up and coordinated through the Office of SARMAN Advisory Council Thee SARMAN Advisory Council is represented by the following agencies or associations which have a direct role and/or responsibility in the delivery of Search and Rescue services in Manitoba: Royal Canadian Mounted Police D Division (RCMP) Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Dakota Ojibway Police Service (DOPS) Brandon Police Service (BPS) Justice representing the small police agencies of Manitoba. Parks Canada (PC) Department of National Defense Domestic Operations MB. (DND) Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) the Fire Commissioner on behalf of the provincial police agencies and the SARMAN Advisory Council. (see: Advisory Council below.) The Mandatory Search and Rescue training for all provincial volunteers is delivered through the Manitoba Emergency Services College, (MESC) which is run by the Provincial Office of the Fire Commissioner. Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) Office of the Fire Commissioner Manitoba (OFC) Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) Civil Air Search & Rescue Association (CASARA) Search & Rescue Manitoba Volunteer SAR Network (SARMAN) Province of Manitoba SAR Dog Association SARMAN Volunteer Association Duck Mountains 2011 Over the years the Search and Rescue VA has transformed itself from a virtually untrained group of volunteers, into a highly trained and dedicated Volunteer Search and Rescue Network that is a valuable resource to the Province of Manitoba. Search and Rescue Manitoba VA is available to support the Police Agencies which are the authority responsible for lost or missing persons within the Province of Manitoba. Across the majority of rural Manitoba the RCMP are the policing authority. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was developed between the RCMP and the OFC provides for the OFC, through the Manitoba Emergency Services College (MESC) to develop and deliver ground search and rescue training to the Volunteer Search and Rescue Network of Manitoba, as well as to coordinate the response of this network to support the RCMP. T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R

3 2 VOL U ME 1 ISSU E 3 THE L OC AT OR SARMAN Upcoming Training 2012 Regional Exercises and ICS 200 training NIF funding helps to develop SAR NIF project SARMAN just finished the second year of a three year project that was initiated to help develop the SARMAN network throughout the Province. Several regional exercises and several ICS 200 courses were budgeted for from April 1st, 2011 to March 31st, As a result of this there are opportunities to put on several regional exercises throughout the Province in The first two of these are scheduled for Riding Mountain National Park on: APRIL 28th Contact Sean Frey for details at: sean.frey@pc.gc.ca And May 27th hosted by North East details to follow. If you are interested in hosting a regional exercise or ICS 200 course in your area please contact the writer at: cliff.samson@gov.mb.ca programs, however it is for NEW initiatives only and can not be requested again for the same project. 2

4 3 Regional Exercise Arborg, Mb. Mike and Keji take their turn at Helicopter Orientation to help prepare SARMAN teams for a real life helicopter deployment. Fire and Emergency Services Personnel hone their search and rescue skills Provincial GSAR exercise hosted by the North Interlake MAD, at the Arborg Fire Hall on Feb 18, THE INTERLAKE SPECTATOR - Teresa Carey - Posted On Feb. 18 Arborg-Bifrost Fire and Emergency Services hosted a recertification training day for Ground Search and Rescue. Thirty people from several Winnipeg, North Interlake and South Interlake fire departments took part in the recertification training. "We haven't had a course like this before. It helped get everybody on the same page," said volunteer fire fighter and Search and Rescue team leader, Sue Medwid. Randy Antonio Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) coordinator with of the city of Winnipeg Police Service Special Ops, and Scott Kerbis, Assistant Fire Commissioner from the Office of the Fire Commissioner were the instructors for the day. They were at the Arborg Fire Hall to update the group on search techniques. Ann Nelson, an emergency helicopter pilot with Prairie Helicopters Inc. in Gimli, was also on hand to teach the group helicopter orientation and safety, and how to prepare a landing zone during an emergency. "They were all really happy to go up. That was the highlight of the day," Medwid said. The helicopter may have drawn the attention of Arborg residents as it flew around town for the day. Trainees were given GPS coordinates and had to find specific locations in town using them. It gave rescuers an opportunity to practise with new GPS locaters they received in At least eight helicopter trips were made throughout the day, with four fire and emergency personnel in the helicopter at a time. Article copied from the Interlake Spectator T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R 3

5 4 VOL U ME 1 ISSU E 3 THE L OC AT OR Regional Exercise Brandon, Mb. On March 10th, 2012 Grand Valley Mutual Aid District hosted a Regional GSAR exercise at the MESC in Brandon. The exercise was attended by teams from Brandon and the surrounding area. The day started with a mapping, compass and GPS refresher training lead by Kevin Popowich of the OFC. Anne Nelson from Prairie helicopter gave a Helicopter safety session just before lunch. In the afternoon teams took part in a GPS and compass exercise as well as a chance to put their helicopter safety training to use with a mock helicopter deployment. 4

6 5 SARMAN Volunteer Insurance National ALGOMA Insurance Policy for SARMAN Volunteers came into affect at: 00:01 hrs. April 1st SARVAC On April 1st, 2012 the Office of the Fire Commissioner advised that they had secured insurance for all SARMAN volunteers. Dave Schafer the newly appointed Fire Commissioner had made a promise a year earlier that he would ensure that all SARMAN volunteers would be adequately protected. The new Insurance covers all SARMAN volunteers for all their GSAR training, prevention, and meetings. Dave Schafer had spear headed SARMAN on behalf of the OFC for the past 10 years. It was fitting that as the newly confirmed Fire Commissioner one of Dave s first official tasks was approving the purchase of insurance for SARMAN volunteers to cover them when performing training, and prevention activities. The SARMAN volunteers have always been covered through the Province of Manitoba for operational calls for service, however a gap appeared in the area of training. Although there is a definite difference between provinces on how the Volunteer Search and Rescue Programs are administered, the Manitoba model appears to be the envy of many. Securing the added insurance for our volunteers was one of the needed steps for us to move forward with an expanded SARMAN program that would meet the needs of the entire province. In order to meet the requirements of the Insurance company, the Province was divided into 9 Insurance Regions based on population and geography. (See: map on page 6.) The addition of the volunteer insurance, a New Initiatives Fund (NIF) for enhanced computer software, the ongoing regional exercises, the new SARMAN website and newsletter all make it a very good time to be involved in Search and Rescue in Manitoba. The new SARMAN volunteer insurance covers volunteers for 5,000,00 in liability. It pays for liability imposed by law or assumed under contract for damages because of bodily injury or property damage. The details of the insurance policy can be seen at : T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R 5

7 6 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 3 T H E L O C A T O R SARMAN CHAPTERS Throughout Manitoba - See: Insurance Regions chart top right hand corner 1 Hudson Bay Chapter /Region 4 North West Region 7 North East Region 2 Clear Water Chapter /Region 5 South West Region 8 WINSAR & Project Lifesaver 3 Lake Winnipeg Chapter /Region 6 Interlake Region 9 South East Region 6

8 7 SARMAN Training Update Training is a continuos process throughout a volunteers life. Refresher training is required on a yearly basis to ensure your skills are sharp. Booking a GSAR BASIC or Team Leader Course for your area The Following procedures have been put in place to secure GSAR training courses for your Chapter / Region 1 Identify a need in your area for GSAR basic or team leader training It is important that we have enough people to fill a class, when possible we will combine groups in a region to ensure we maximise the class numbers. 2 The GSAR Coordinator or MAD coordinator for the Chapter wanting the training will then make a request to the MESC to obtain the training for their area. 3 The MESC will then make arrangements for an instructor to be assigned who will then work with the Chapter GSAR Coordinator to finalize the required paperwork to secure the training. 4 The MESC will then confirm the pre requisites etc. for each applicant. REMEMBER Training does not end after taking the GSAR Basic training. Each SARMAN member is required to commit to the following training on a yearly basis to remain Active: hours SAR related maintenance training per year. 2. Including 8 hours of skills refresher on Navigation, survival, search techniques, and operations. SARVAC is the National Association for Search and Rescue Volunteers. They have previously been funded by donations, fundraising and NIF. SARVAC initiates move to develop National Training standards & Courses The Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada was recently successful in their submission for a three year NIF for the development of a National Training Standard and the development of a Nationally Training curriculum for GSAR Basic, Team Leader and Search Managers Courses. A committee is now being developed with a representative from each Province and Territory and a representative of each provincial Volunteer Association to develop theses standards. The New National Standard will help ensure a consistent level of service for the entire country. The Manitoba Emergency Services College will be working closely with this committee to assist with this process. T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R 7

9 8 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 3 T H E L O C A T O R TASKING NUMBERS now required... Home Emergency Response Home Tasking Numbers Search and Rescue Manitoba SARMAN Mission SARMAN News SARMAN Advisory Council SARMAN Team SARMAN Canine SARMAN Capabilities SARMAN Equipment SARMAN - Office Frequency SARMAN Training NEW! The following information is now posted on the OFC website Tasking Numbers for Volunteer Search and Rescue Activities GSAR Coordinators (or alternate) are required to obtain a tasking number for each organized training, prevention or assembly activity. A Tasking Number is an assigned number that is used to accurately document each SARMAN activity/ event within the Province of Manitoba. One (1) Tasking Number is assigned per event and must be initiated by the GSAR Coordinator (or alternate) from the area of where the event will be held. Coordinators must apply for a Tasking Number 10 working days prior to the event by completing the application below and return it to the Office of the Fire Commissioner. This initiative is a requisite necessary to fulfill SARMAN S requirement to properly protect our members as part of the SARMAN Volunteer Insurance Program. The completion of a Training Report must follow the activity or event. This report must be completed within 5 business days by the GSAR Coordinator (or alternate) who originally initiated the Tasking Number request. Active status of SAR teams and individuals are dependent on these reports and confirm that Manitoba s GSAR members are maintaining the minimum standard adopted by the Province and continues to be consistent with other Search and Rescue programs across Canada. In the event of an injury, a workers compensation form will need to be completed immediately and forwarded to the OFC on the next business day. (NOTE: The appropriate forms are all listed on the web page and accessible with a click of the mouse.) Tasking number application form Training report For further information; to submit an application or completed report, please contact: firecomm@gov.mb.ca Now available on the OFC web site under SARMAN 8

10 9 Tips for Searchers Searchers should be prepared S afety & Survival - of your search team is paramount E mergency - A Search is an Emergency (life & death) A wareness - Be Aware of the environment and weather R escue - Be prepared & equipped to perform a Rescue C ompassion - A search can affect everyone H andling - Your subject may be fragile, Do Not Rush T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R 9

11 10 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 3 T H E L O C A T O R THE CODE OF THE RESCUEMAN It is my duty to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform this duty quickly and efficiently, placing it before personal desires and comforts. These things I do that others may live. -Author Unknown 10

12 11 Press Release from the federal government regarding this years NIF - New Initiative Funding for Two of these approved projects were chosen from Manitoba. News Release Harper Government Announces Funding for Search and Rescue Prevention and Response HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA (Marketwire April 15, 2012) The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, is pleased to announce an $8.1M federal investment in search and rescue prevention and response in Canada. Our government understands the importance of investing in new initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of search and rescue in Canada, said Minister MacKay. This money will support projects that build search and rescue capacity and strengthens the response of search and rescue. In , this new funding will allow for the purchase of lifesaving equipment and tools; the development of training standards; collaborative interoperability exercises between the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, Parks Canada, and the over 15,000 specially trained air-ground-marine search and rescue volunteers; the development of outreach prevention and awareness programs to targeted audiences like flight safety for private pilots; the building of search and rescue capacity in the marine environment on the coasts; and the development of virtual trainers for the air and marine search and rescue environments. Projects funded under the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund support the priorities of the National Search and Rescue Program said Ms. Geraldine Underdown, Executive Director of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat. They contribute to building capacity for the National Search and Rescue Program in such areas as search and rescue prevention, response, technology, sustainability, interoperability and the North. Established in 1986, the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) is responsible for the management and coordination of the National Search and Rescue Program, and works with all levels of government, police and emergency services to manage and improve search and rescue activities throughout Canada. The NSS is an autonomous arm s length organization within the Department of National Defence, accountable to the Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, who is also Minister of National Defence. What is not explained in the article is that; this is not NEW money for Search and Rescue, but simply one of the ongoing Search and Rescue programs that is not being cut by Ottawa along with many other programs. Although the NIF funding appears safe for now, JEPP the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program funding is expected to be cancelled after the year. This funding had also been given out annually to the provinces and territories to fund emergency preparedness and USAR. It is still unclear how this will affect our Provincial HUSAR team, CANTF-4. T H E L O C A T O R N E W S L E T T E R 11

13 12 VOL U ME 1 ISSU E 3 THE L OC AT OR SARMAN Regional GSAR Exercise East Beaches - May 27,2012 Contact Dave Lussier for details: dplussier@hydro.mb.ca WARNING: SARMAN MEMBERS Health Concern Re: Potential Lyme Disease Because of expanding black legged tick population Manitoba Health advises that more blacklegged tick populations have been identified in the province. There are now several areas across southern Manitoba where populations of blacklegged ticks are confirmed or suspected to be established. Blacklegged ticks can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. Manitobans are advised to watch for ticks in southern areas of the province, particularly where established blacklegged tick populations have been identified and also in areas with suitable tick habitats. Manitobans can take the following precautions to reduce the risk of coming into contact with blacklegged ticks while enjoying the outdoors: * limit contact with tall grass or other vegetation along wooded areas and stay to the centre of hiking trails or paths; * wear light-coloured clothing to make it easier to see ticks that may be on the skin or clothing; * wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in tall-grass habitats or wooded areas where ticks are most commonly found; * tuck a shirt into pants and pants into socks to prevent ticks from attaching to the skin; * apply an appropriate repellent (it should say 'tick repellent' on the container) on clothing and exposed skin after reading and following instructions for use; * inspect yourself, children and pets for ticks and remove them as soon as possible; and * keep grass well mowed to help reduce the amount of habitat suitable for ticks. 12

14 13 Proud Supporter of Search and Rescue Manitoba 13