Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/196923
S Search and rescue T he Royal Canadian Air Force wrapped up its annual National Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) on September 20 in Gimli, Manitoba. The weeklong event drew over 200 participants from across the SAR community, including the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, and members of Search and Rescue Manitoba, to work on interoperability and decision-making through realistic land-, airand water-based training scenarios. The simulations included a plane crash, a marine rescue, an air intercept, and a rope rescue on the face of a cliff, testing skill sets from parachute accuracy to mountaineering, swimming, and emergency medical response. "SAREX 2013 brings together Canada's close-knit SAR partners and immerses participants in rigorous environments to test multi-organization coordination and readiness," said Col Joël Roy, Commander of 17 Wing in Winnipeg, which hosted the event. The RCAF contributed SAR technicians, pilots, flight engineers, load masters, air combat systems officers, and maintenance and support personnel as well as such aircraft as the CH-146 Griffon, the CC-130 Hercules, the CC-115 Buffalo, the CH149 Cormorant and a CC-138 Twin Otter. Earlier in the month, 30 CAF personnel and a CC-130 also participated in Search and Rescue Exercise Greenland Sea 13 under harsh Arctic conditions near Ella Island. The exercise recreated a maritime disaster and response scenario that involved four of the eight Arctic Council member states: Canada, Denmark, Iceland and the United States. "Major international SAR operations require complex coordination, which is why opportunities like these are vital for strengthening our partnerships and enhancing our practices," said MGen Christopher Coates, Deputy Commander Continental, Canadian Joint Operations Command, and the senior CAF representative at the exercise. The Forces respond to about 1,200 SAR calls a year, many in remote and arduous terrain in challenging weather conditions. SAREX 2013: Exercising interoperability 24 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 www.vanguardcanada.com