The North Shore News published Paul Daniell's letter to the editor on Friday with the intention of furthering the debate on best practices within search and rescue organizations. The letter was accepted at face value. If, as the North Shore Rescue organization maintains, there were inaccuracies and misinformation contained in it, then we apologize for not discovering them and not consulting with NSR before publishing. There was no intent to impugn the motives of team leader Tim Jones or the skill level of the team members involved in what was a successful rescue of Sébastien Boucher. The News is happy to provide NSR, through its leader, Tim Jones, the opportunity to give their account of the challenging Boucher rescue. The News continues to have the highest respect for NSR and the invaluable work they do in our community.
WHEN one takes a leadership position to enact positive change in a field that they have dedicated their life to, one has to understand that people will not only challenge what you say but present views not completely based on facts.
Unfortunately sometimes, as in this case, Mr. Paul Daniell, whom I do not know, also presented his challenge (Review Rescue Collaboration Practice, North Shore News, Aug. 23) in a very misleading way.
Many members within search and rescue, the media, aviation, communications and the political community are championing my proposals that will now be discussed with the government and the B.C. Search and Rescue Association. These progressive proposals are designed to ensure volunteer search and rescue operational sustainability in helicopter rescue for high-volume SAR teams and private helicopter operators.
This also includes a desperately needed provincewide SAR communications system. This is based on my extensive operational experience in these specific areas.
These proposals regarding standby pay for specific skill set SAR volunteers and private helicopter operators as well as a provincial SAR communications system can be viewed on our blog at northshorerescue. com/2013/08/a-step-inthe-right-direction-briefingnote/. Please also listen to CBC's Aug. 14 B.C. Almanac podcast broadcast. I really encourage readers to read and listen, and to contact me via northshorerescue.com if you have any questions or comments.
To address Mr. Daniell's Aug. 23 letter to the North Shore News specifically: RCAF 442 Squadron is an extremely high-skilled military SAR unit with whom we have had the privilege to work successfully several times.
442 Squadron is required to maintain one Cormorant rescue helicopter and one fixed-wing Buffalo aircraft on 30-minute-to-launch response during weekday working hours and on a two-hour-tolaunch response after hours, weekends and holidays. These times do not include flight time to a search area.
442 Squadron, based at 19 Wing CFB Comox, covers the entire West Coast, the province of B.C. and the Yukon. Its primary mandate is air/sea rescue, and the large Cormorant helicopter they fly was designed to fly out to sea and back several hundred kilometres and rescue a dozen or more people. Its excessive downwash from the rotors does not make it the most suitable mountain SAR helicopter.
However 442's ability to conduct night operations is the main reason it is requested by volunteer SAR teams such as North Shore Rescue, as part of a risk vs. benefit decision by the volunteer SAR manager. Recently, the Mount Rainer National Park Service has halted using large military helicopters due to this dangerous downwash issue that involved the recent death of a climbing ranger. They are now fast tracking a helicopter long-line program identical to North Shore Rescue's for their Climbing Rangers.
In addition, 442 Squadron, no matter how highly skilled they are, cannot respond to the ever increasing number of helicopter rescue requests in this province.
The vast majority of the helicopter rescues required in B.C. are during daylight hours, performed jointly by strategically placed highly skilled volunteer SAR teams or Parks Canada rescue specialists and highly skilled private helicopter operators flying small agile helicopters exactly suited for mountain SAR.
For this exact reason, helicopter long-line rescue during daylight hours performed by SAR volunteers and/or Parks Canada was safely and successfully implemented between the 1970s and 1990s. The help of 442 Squadron is requested on those specific daylight rescue calls, where this longline rescue capability is not immediately available.
On the second day of the December 2012 search for missing snowboarder Sébastien Boucher, North Shore Rescue search managers requested a 442 Squadron Cormorant and RCMP Air 1 to conduct specialized night search operations as the weather window cleared briefly. A complete grid air search covering an expanded area which included the exact area where the lost subject had made camp was done by both aircraft several times.
When debriefed after his rescue, Boucher stated he heard the aircraft but was too tired to come out of his makeshift tree-well shelter in order to be spotted by the night vision equipment (FLIR) in both aircraft. The weather then socked in again that night.
On the third day of this search, the weather cleared again around midday and staged Talon and Air 1 helicopters were back up flying. The Talon helicopter with a NSR helicopter rescue team on board while doing close tactical searching, spotted a single set of fresh tracks nowhere near the Cypress ski area, that had traversed a steep slope on the west side of Black Mountain. This sighting occurred with a very tight light window left.
RCAF 442 Squadron, already on standby, was immediately advised as part of the operational plan NSR developed collaboratively with the West Vancouver Police Department and the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. 442 Squadron would be brought in if NSR could not do a long-line rescue due to darkness.
A four-man NSR helicopter rescue team led by myself were quickly long-lined by Talon Helicopters to these tracks that were heading downhill into the heavily forested ridgeline. The subject was tracked down a very steep ridge of Disbrow Creek and along with air support from RCMP Air 1 and Talon helicopters we made voice contact with the subject and confirmed his identity. He was 300 feet below us in a box canyon of Disbrow Creek.
442 Squadron was proactively activated on speculation we would need them due to impending darkness. We also had a land-based rope rescue team deploying up from Highway 99.
Our four-man team rappelled to the subject in darkness while encountering rock fall hazard. Once on scene with an exhausted subject, we treated him for mild hypothermia and dehydration. Seeing that a night rope rescue extraction was not safe due to the rock fall hazard which would have ensued high above us, we kept the 442 Squadron Cormorant helicopter coming.
It was a textbook, maximum-length (285-foot) hoist extraction with our team identifying our position with GPS, parachute flares and VHF radio contact. The subsequent media release by RCAF 19 Wing Comox media relations reflected this.
Beyond being a completely successful operation between NSR and 442 Squadron, we jointly conducted what is referred to as a tailgate debrief at Vancouver airport immediately after the rescue. We normally do this on all tasks in order to identify any operational issues. The Cormorant aircraft commander specifically commented on the skill in which we guided them into our location which was in a deep dark hole surrounded by tall trees.
This very positive debrief led to yet another 442 Sq./NSR interagency co-ordinating session as we invited them to participate in our major Snowman 3 exercise at Cypress Bowl this past April. They will be participating, if available, in our Snowman 4 exercise in 2014.
In addition, we held an operational debrief with the senior WVPD officers who were involved as the overall SAR commanders on this rescue and once again our team was thanked for a job well done.
Mr. Daniell, NSR invites you to contact us at anytime in the future if you have any issues to discuss regarding search and rescue or to verify your facts.
Tim Jones is Team Leader with North Shore Rescue.
