Saving Lives on the Water is their motto and that is what the volunteer members of the Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue do - ready to respond to rescue operations on the water 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
Working in conjunction with the Coast Guard, Canadian Forces, police and fire departments, RCMSAR stations serve 42 communities along the West Coast of Canada with 1,000 volunteer members. Tasked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, which is operated by the Canadian Forces and Coast Guard, RCM-SAR stations keep in communication with Coast Guard radio dispatchers as they attend to distress calls.
With spring now in full bloom and summer fast approaching that means an ever-increasing number of recreational boaters and water users along with the constant commercial marine traffic to keep these crews busy.
On the North Shore there are two stations, Station 1 based in Horseshoe Bay and Station 2 operating from the Lynnwood Marina under the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, with approximately 35 members in each station.
Tasked with patrolling the waters as far west as Point Grey and into English Bay, east to Port Moody and up to the northern tip of Indian Arm, the volunteer members of North Vancouver-based RCM-SAR Station 2 spend long hours training on and patrolling the waters along the North Shore in all types of weather conditions and seas.
Typically each crew member will spend more than 200 hours per year training on the water and in the classroom, and then log more than 3,500 hours a year on call for dedicated emergency response. Crew members are required to live within 15 minutes' travel time of the station so they can respond rapidly to rescue calls.
Station 2 volunteers responded to 56 callouts in 2013. So far this year, they've attended 29 calls for assistance. In addition to search and rescue calls, RCM-SAR team members provide water safety education and perform boating safety checks for the public. For more information, visit rcmsar2.ca.
