GROUND SEARCH AND RESCUE IN CANADA

 

Ground SAR in Canada is conducted under the legal authority of the
individual provinces and territories. This authority is delegated for operational
response to the police service of jurisdiction. At the provincial level, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police are the operational authority for GSAR in
all Canadian provinces and territories except Ontario, Quebec, and parts of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Canadian volunteer GSAR teams are among
the best you will find anywhere, but the form of their organization and
support varies across the country due to the diversity of authorities and
historic development.

Despite this diversity, exciting changes are taking place in the way Canada
approaches GSAR, and we hope to make advances in national organization
and strength over the coming years.

The provinces and territories have appointed representatives to a working
group to discuss how provincial and territorial GSAR standards of training
and competency might be described in a national framework, and see how
much they can come together into a national picture. If national consistency
could be built into provincial/territorial GSAR systems, it is the belief of the
participants that many doors would be opened to improvements in GSAR
identity, training, opportunities for mutual aid, funding, and other potential
benefits. To date, the working group are developing "National Criteria for
Ground Search and Rescue Standards" at a Basic, Advanced, and
Management levels. Once defined and described, these criteria will need to
be discussed within each individual province and territory, and then with
other involved jurisdictions before they could be considered acceptable and
applicable across the country. Although the majority of provinces and
territories are represented, not all are active participants.

Further information about Canadian GSAR activities and issues is being
refined now, and will be available shortly.

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