Claire Wollen | Contributed
On a picturesque and sunny day at the end of March, five members of Sooke’s Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 37 embarked from their boathouse in Sooke in two rigid hull inflatable vessels en route to Victoria. Their objective for the day was to participate in a significant mass-casualty training exercise off Trial Island and the Victoria waterfront.
Various organizations also participated in the exercise on March 30, including RCMSAR stations from Oak Bay and Victoria, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, along with their cutter, Blue Shark.
The Coast Guard and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority organized the event.
During the exercise, the scenario depicted a whale-watching boat engulfed in flames, with numerous casualties requiring assistance. The role of the victims was proficiently played by more than 20 coast guard cadets from all over the province, as well as body dummies waiting to be rescued from the water and shore.
RCMSAR Station 37 (Sooke) extracted five victims from the shore and transported them to the coast guard cutter for medical evaluation. The station also transported six victims from the coast guard cutter to the Ogden Point cruise terminal transport area in Victoria, where paramedics and firefighters assessed them.
The objectives of this training exercise were to improve interoperability, teamwork, emergency communication, rescue and search techniques, risk assessment, and mission safety. On-water activities involved searching and rescuing the many “victims” (cadets and body dummies), assessing their medical condition, and transporting them to safety on the shore.
If you would like to support the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 37 Sooke’s operations and mandate of “Saving Lives on the Water,” please consider volunteering. Your involvement in the organization can be tailored to your interests, availability, and skills, including maintenance, administration, fundraising, and promoting boating safety awareness.
If you want to offer your time and skills to support RCMSAR’s mandate or learn more about the organization, visit the RCMSAR Station 37 booth at Sookarama on Saturday (April 22) at SEAPARC Arena from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you cannot attend Sookarama but want to know more, please email jdfmarine37@gmail.com.
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Claire Wollen writes for Sooke’s Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 37.
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editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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