Coquitlam Search and Rescue would like to thank the many SAR volunteers, presenters, sponsors and our partner agencies for making our first attempt at hosting a Search and Rescue conference a success.
SAREx South West, or SARxSW, was an opportunity to bring together SAR members from the 14 Ground SAR teams in South West BC (the BCSARA Sea to Sky and Fraser Valley regions), and our partner agencies at Royal Canadian Marine SAR and CASARA, as well as amateur radio (CARESS), police and Emergency Management BC staff for a two day conference that combined presentations with practical SAR exercises.
We would also like to thank the sponsors of the event which are listed on the SARxSW Web Site, but in particular the BC Search and Rescue Association and Emergency Management BC without whom this event could not have taken place.
With space graciously donated by the David Lam campus of Douglas College, Saturday September 27th included presentations, a small trade show, and a keynote presentation/case study of a particularly noteworthy rescue by members of Squamish SAR and Lions Bay SAR. Over 115 people attended, and feedback so far has been enthusiastic.
Sunday’s events spanned the region from Pitt Lake to Indian Arm, and saw SAR members participate in a variety of workshops, scenarios and exercises designed to for training for responses, testing capabilities and logistics. The highlights included
- A simulated large search at in the upper Pitt River Valley
- An Air search of Pitt Lake
- Two CASARA fixed wings flying out of Pitt Meadows Airport
- Coordinated search with RCAF 442 Squadron Buffalo from Comox
- Building out a communications network with the Coquitlam Amateur Radio Club
- A combined exercise with GSAR and Royal Canadian Marine SAR station 2 on Indian Arm
- A rope rescue workshop with Ronin Rescue on Burke Mountain
- A large incident command and control centre at Coquitlam Town Centre Fire Hall
- use of Satellite tracking technology to monitor field units
- VHF/UHF cross band repeaters for remote communications
- HF communications
Pitt Lake
Indian Arm
Burke Mountain
Incident Command
Groups Attending
Southwest GSAR
- Central Fraser Valley SAR
- Coquitlam SAR
- Chilliwack SAR
- Hope SAR
- Kent Harrison SAR
- Lions Bay SAR
- Mission SAR
- North Shore Rescue
- Pemberton SAR
- Ridge Meadows SAR
- Squamish SAR
- Sunshine Coast SAR
- Surrey SAR
- Whistler SAR
Other GSAR
- Nicola Valley SAR
- Juan de Fuca SAR
- Central Okanagan SAR
- Saltspring Island SAR
Other SAR / Emergency Management
- BC Search and Rescue Association
- Emergency Management BC
- RCMP
- Royal Canadian Marine SAR
- Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA or EMBC-Air)
- Metro Vancouver
- Roberts Bank Lifeboat Society
- CARESS (Coquitlam Amateur Radio Society)