Members of the North Shore rescue community had a chance to meet members of the royal family up close and personal while sharing stories of the work they do as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge touched down at the Kitsilano Coast Guard base Sunday afternoon.
Members of North Shore Rescue and the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue’s North Vancouver unit were all among emergency responders on hand to greet the royal couple, who visited the coast guard base with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.
“I’ve never interacted with royalty before,” said Mike Danks, team leader for North Shore Rescue, who took part in a 45-minute discussion with Prince William, along with members of other emergency response teams. “We were very honoured to be part of that group.”
Danks said the private discussion inside the base focused on issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, and the need to provide mental health support for those who work in crisis situations.
Danks said Prince William, who has worked as a search and rescue helicopter pilot as well as an air ambulance pilot, spoke about the need to get rid of the stigma around mental health issues like PTSD.
After the formal discussion, the royal couple and the Trudeaus visited booths of emergency responders set up at of the base, where team members had a chance to showcase their work.
The Duke, Sophie Trudeau and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson were among those who stopped to speak with members of North Shore Rescue. Because of his own experience in search and rescue, “The Duke, right away was incredibly familiar with the gear we were using,” said Danks, who showed the dignitaries equipment including an automated CPR machine and long-line rescue system.
Although not usually a royal watcher, Danks said he was impressed with “how casual and approachable” both the Duke and Duchess were, and how they appeared to be familiar with the work of the rescue team. “They weren’t coming in blind. They knew a little bit about everyone,” he said. “That shows their character.”
One of the most difficult parts of the visit was choosing which members of the team would get to go, said Danks, who was joined Sunday by teammates Jeff Yarnold, Scott Campbell and Doug Pope.
A crew from the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue station in North Vancouver also got a few minutes to speak with the Duchess of Cambridge at the Coast Guard base Sunday while presenting her with personalized child-sized life jackets bearing the names of Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
“Kate seemed to quite like them,” said station leader Randy Strandt. “She said she loved them.”
Strandt said the crew, which also included Dan Wright and Louise Hooymans, decided to present the life jackets to call attention to their “Kids don’t float” program, which promotes a free lending program for children’s life jackets and personal flotation devices at marinas and public docks. Strandt said team members chatted to Kate for about two minutes about the kind of calls they get called to and the biggest challenges they face.
Danks said team members did get some pointers on royal protocol before the visit, such as how to address the royals as “Your royal highness” when meeting them for the first time.
“And obviously no selfies,” Danks laughed.
Prior to the couple’s arrival, security was evident as bomb-sniffing dogs checked all of the team’s equipment.
Strandt said he was also amazed at the phalanx of press following the royal couple. “As the royals approached, the amount of camera clicks you could hear behind them…it was almost overwhelming.”
