From choare at shaw.ca Mon Jan 15 20:48:54 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Mon Jan 15 22:00:31 2007 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings January 2007 Message-ID: <009101c73921$3e7e0a20$b5a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e_mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. PARKLAND SAR ACQUIRES FORMER STONY PLAIN FIRE HALL Parkland SAR is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of the former Stony Plain Fire Hall. With the opening of a new Fire Hall the previous facility was highly sought after by a number of community groups in the region. Stony Plain town council approved PSAR's proposal for use and we took possession on December 1, 2006. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for PSAR to develop and most importantly a chance for the members to clear out their basements, garages, and driveways of stuff belonging to PSAR. In celebration of our new home, the PSAR Hall, we invite everyone to the following event: PSAR Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Saturday, January 27, 2007 4908-51 Avenue (across from Town Hall) Stony Plain, Alberta Ribbon Cutting & Open House at 1430h Please RSVP before January 24th to Ian MacVittie, PSAR President at 780-960-3683 or ianroy67@hotmail.com Happy New Year! Blaine Barody Regional Representative www.parklandsar.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAIN THE TRAINER I see that the SAR website says there are still spaces available for this course. Check with Shannon Krzywicki at sarbasicsinstructor@calsara.com SAR BASICS "TRAIN THE TRAINER" COURSE, CALGARY, JANUARY 26_28, 2007 Become a SAR Basics Instructor. Hosted by CALSARA, and taught by ERI's Daryl Black, this course will feature the latest version of the Fundamentals of Ground Search and Rescue (FOGSAR) manual. Course Information available in PDF or in RTF. Inquiries regarding the course can be directed to Shannon Krzywicki or by phone at 403_270_3364 (after reading the information package first). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SEARCH FOR STEPHANIE STEWART The following is a shortened version of the article written for the Hinton paper by Marc Symbaluk, the search manager. The item was submitted by Jerry Fochler jerry@inroads.ca - I expect he will send a copy of the full article to anyone interested. Stephanie Stewart was the Athabasca tower attendant who went missing in August 2006. The Hinton SAR group were heading the five day search that ensued. Since the initial Stewart SAR Mission, HSAR has participated or led a number of follow up area searches. We will continue to work for the RCMP, exploring areas for evidence or lack of evidence (both have investigative value) until her whereabouts are determined. The initial SAR Mission was a large endeavor, covering some 5,000 sq km utilizing several dozen ground searchers, canine teams, helicopters, mobile (vehicular) teams, OHVs, and jet boats. Being the Search Manager for such an incident was a nearly overwhelming challenge, and would have been so without the exceptional Incident Command Team (ICT) we managed to assemble. The initial scene assessment provided variable incident scenarios, including potential wildlife encounter or incidental personal injury. We began to learn through information provided by the RCMP's investigation that there was a likelihood of foul play and adjusted our search areas and objectives accordingly. As a leader of this search, the innate primary objective is to recover Stephanie Steward and return her to her family. One of the most difficult tasks following 5 intense days of search is for the ICT to decide that our search objectives have been completely met therefore standing down the initial response, while recommending that a continuous limited search tactic be employed going forward. Part of this tactic involves awareness programs, SAR missions to meet RCMP investigative requirements, or focused ongoing SAR training operations. All of these have taken place since Stephanie's disappearance in late August. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANAGING SEARCH OPERATIONS COURSE Hosted by Lethbridge Area SAR and taught by ERI. LETHBRIDGE, FEBRUARY 5_9, 2007 Course Information available in PDF or in DOC. Inquiries regarding the course can be directed to Spencer training@lasara.org or by phone at 403_758_6108 Registration Deadline is January 22nd. Don't Delay! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THERE'S MORE ON THE SAR WEBSITE Take a look at our website http://www.saralberta.org/ for more notices of events upcoming and the new edition of the SarScene magazine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SAR Super Bowl An interesting article was submitted by Jolie Janssen of Edmonton Regional SAR, but as usual, the space limitations and format of SARA Happenings preclude my including the whole piece. I don't know if the article has been published elsewhere but it ought to be. Perhaps the full article is on Edmonton Regional's website http://www.ersara.com or else you might contact Jolie at jokena@telusplanet.net I include the first two paragraphs of the article below - On a remote area farm, a toddler wanders away from his grandparents while they are working in the garden on a late summers evening. The 23 month old is wearing nothing more than a light colored tank top, a diaper and a pair of running shoes. The daylight hours fade as quickly as the warm temperatures and with the arrival of the cold, damp darkness the call is made to SAR to assist in the urgent search for the child. It may be the reason we join a SAR team; it's most always in the back of our minds when we dedicate the endless hours and dollars to gear, training and field responses. Often it is called the 'ultimate' SAR call, the one that fires the adrenaline through the roof, the proverbial SAR Super Bowl. Members of Edmonton Regional Search and Rescue responded to this very call in the wee morning hours of August 25, 2006. Accompanied by members of Klondike Trail SAR and Lesser Slave Lake SAR, teams initiated the first response phase in textbook fashion. Continued . . . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1_1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare@shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e_mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.cuug.ab.ca/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070115/e8df3e50/attachment.html From choare at shaw.ca Fri Feb 16 20:47:27 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Fri Feb 16 21:19:52 2007 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings, February 2007 Message-ID: <00af01c75246$57f34ea0$b5a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10TH ANNUAL ALBERTA SEARCH & RESCUE CONFERENCE SAR Alberta with Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue Invite you .. To the 10th Annual Alberta Search and Rescue Conference in Rocky Mountain House, June 1-3, 2007. The speakers are lined up, the entertainment is ready and we are set to let loose and celebrate Search and Rescue in Alberta. Your organizations will be getting registration information and sheets in the mail in the next few weeks or you can go to our website at www.rockysar.com for more information and registration sheets. Saturday evening will be a particularly good time with the Boys of St. James Gate entertaining us, and more than likely a beverage or two will be shared among friends. We look forward to seeing all of you there! On a separate note -- we are still looking for a few crests from groups out there. If possible can you send them in jpeg form and if any of them previously sent in word format can be resent that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help on this effort. They can be sent directly to xtreme11@telusplanet.net. Edward Van Heeren Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOST GROUPS - NEED RESCUE A note from Michelle that was relayed to me suggests we may need a call out to find some missing SAR groups. Whole groups? Yep - vanished from the Board's knowledge without a trace. I quote - "I have tried through other means to contact these groups via email. I have sent via post to them notification as well . . ." If anyone knows the whereabouts of these missing SAR groups, please notify Michelle. Better still if anyone out there happens to see them wander by, would you please have them make their annual membership registrations. Sheesh, guys - it wouldn't look good for us to call out a search for them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESCUE-WIKI This item followed a rather wandering course to arrive at these pages but take a look at this Article.... http://www.pr.com/press-release/26046 And this Webpage....http://www.rescuewiki.com The idea is to increase the available call-out resources by linking through a universal wiki based website. The original message came from Jeffrey J. Haack, Search and Rescue Specialist, PROVINCIAL EMERGENCY PROGRAM Emergency Management British Columbia, 455 Boleskine Road, Victoria BC V8Z 1E7, CANADA www.pep.bc.ca It was forwarded by Sparwood SAR with a message. Hey, not sure if you've heard of this yet but it looks like it could be a valuable resource to SAR once it grows. Thought you'd like to pass it around to the teams in Alberta so they can add their websites to the resource section and maybe contribute some articles. Ed Ehrler, Team Coordinator, Sparwood Search & Rescue www.sparwoodsar.com And finally arrived at SARA Happenings in a message from our invaluable correspondent, Michelle Maschke mdmaschke@yahoo.com Thanks again for your contributions, Michelle. Hey - folks out there. You could send items like this. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HINTON CAVE RESCUE WORKSHOPS, MAY 4-8, 2007 These workshops are a joint effort between BC Cave Rescue (part of their Provincial Emergency Program), Hinton Search and Rescue, the Alberta Cave Rescue Organization (which is, as we speak, being re-built, structured and strengthened) and Inroads Mountain Sports (a member of all these organizations). For full details about these workshops - Companion Cave Rescue Workshop and Rope Rescue Response Workshop - contact Jerry Fochler jerry@inroads.ca Director of Operations, Inroads Mountain Sports (780) 963-7675 (Stony Plain) (780) 817-1512 (Hinton) www.inroads.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare@shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e_mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.cuug.ab.ca/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070216/6e06a844/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Thu Mar 15 20:30:20 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Thu Mar 15 20:59:02 2007 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings March 2007 Message-ID: <007e01c76773$0b2c48a0$09a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10TH ANNUAL ALBERTA SEARCH & RESCUE CONFERENCE SAR Alberta with Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue Invite you .. To the 10th Annual Alberta Search and Rescue Conference in Rocky Mountain House, June 1 - 3, 2007. The speakers are lined up, the entertainment is ready and we are set to let loose and celebrate Search and Rescue in Alberta. Registration packages have been sent to all of the teams in the province, so check with your team leaders, or you can go to www.rockysar.com to download the registration as well. It is going to be a good time, with some great entertainment and festivities for Saturday night. So come out, learn a little, mingle a little and party a lot! We are still looking for a few more crests from teams, so if you haven't got yours in, please send it to xtreme11@telusplanet.net ASAP. We are also looking for any interested volunteers and if you are interested you can also e-mail the above the address. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCENT DOG NEWS The March 2007 issue of SARDAA's SCENT DOG NEWS is now available on our web site _ www.sardaa.ca Feedback welcome. __ Michelle L. Limoges Search & Rescue Dog Association of Alberta Web site _ http://www.sardaa.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HINTON CAVE RESCUE WORKSHOPS, MAY 4_8, 2007 These workshops are a joint effort between BC Cave Rescue (part of their Provincial Emergency Program), Hinton Search and Rescue, the Alberta Cave Rescue Organization (which is, as we speak, being re-built, structured and strengthened) and Inroads Mountain Sports (a member of all these organizations). For full details about these workshops -- Companion Cave Rescue Workshop and Rope Rescue Response Workshop -- contact Jerry Fochler jerry@inroads.ca Director of Operations, Inroads Mountain Sports (780) 963-7675 (Stony Plain) (780) 817-1512 (Hinton) www.inroads.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAR 1ST RESPONSE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES The following item was submitted by Michelle Hebert sar1st@yahoo.ca Please direct any enquiries to the submitting organization. To: All Alberta SAR Regional Groups. March 3, 2007 SAR 1st Response is all about tracking and training. Who> SAR 1st Response is composed of volunteer mantrackers, sign-cutters, like-minded individuals and local SAR units who dedicate their time to train and continuously develop the search skills of tracking, and evidence (clue) gathering. What> SAR 1st Response promotes tracking as a viable and needed part in the total collection of skills and knowledge pertinent to search and rescue activities. SAR 1st Response Society advocates that tracking skills be one of the first resources dispatched to help find clues to solve search and evidence handling scenes. When> SAR 1st Response is a non-profit society incorporated under Alberta Registries, August 12, 2005. Where> SAR 1st Response trainers will come to your area to hold tracking sessions. The multitude of different terrains in Alberta makes any districts' tracking session a challenge for trackers. Why> Tracking has proven to be a valuable resource that is most effective when applied early in the events of search and rescue activities. How> SAR 1st Response: 1. Facilitates communication at the local level to establish the respect and rapport with local tasking agency members to have sufficient confidence in tracking skills and personnel to actually use them; 2. Assists local SAR groups to develop qualified tracker teams to be available on 30-minute response, seven days a week; and, 3. Commits to training groups and individuals in the accomplishment of the vision. Vision> Trackers will be the first response team called by the tasking agency to searches, providing tracking scene management. The intention is to significantly cut down the time period between the tasking agency being notified and the local SAR groups being tasked. Call today to schedule a training tracking session in your area. Respectfully, Les Brace, President Cell: (780) 983-2674 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare@shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.cuug.ab.ca/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070315/ce09d0a7/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Sun Apr 15 16:52:26 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Sun Apr 15 17:43:20 2007 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings April 2007 Message-ID: <007101c77fb0$bcf39480$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAR DAY, MAY 5TH 2007 Twenty Days to Go. A reminder that SAR Day is coming soon. Is your program ready? Has it been publicized? For more information on events please contact Michelle Maschke at mdmaschke@yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WANDERING -- FROM THE ALZHEIMER'S SUPPORT NETWORK Michelle sent this from http://gator.naples.net/presents/Alzheimer/ I don't have room to include more than a few snippets, but you can read the whole article on the website. There are many reasons why an Alzheimer patient wanders or walks away from home or a well-known path or area. As a first step, try to determine the reasons behind wandering by asking these questions: (These cover) Medication; Stress; Time Confusion; Basic Needs; Restlessness; Lack of Recognition; Fear; Past Behavior. (It also includes advice and instructions -- for example:- ) Inform your neighbors of the person's condition and keep a list of their names and telephone numbers handy. Although neighbors can be helpful in guiding the person home, you'll probably want to teach them how to approach the person with Alzheimer's disease by using these steps: Approach the person from the front. Introduce yourself and call or ask a name. Gently look for or ask to see identification, Offer help and re-establish the day, date, and time. Avoid pulling or pushing the person. Report the patient found. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION Michelle also sent this item about the availability of books on disasters. The Publications Program of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization for the Americas and the Caribbean, is pleased to present to you PAHO''s latest publications on disasters: -- Guidelines for vulnerability reduction in the design of new health facilities: http://publications.paho.org/english/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=883 - The Challenge in Disaster Reduction for the Water and Sanitation Sector: http://publications.paho.org/english/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=891 -- Disasters: Selected Readings: http://publications.paho.org/english/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=850 For more information on these publications, please visit our website http://publications.paho.org/english/catresults.cfm?Cat=7. You can also find more information on the other books at http://publications.paho.org/english/index.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10TH ANNUAL ALBERTA SEARCH & RESCUE CONFERENCE SAR Alberta with Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue Invite you .. To the 10th Annual Alberta Search and Rescue Conference in Rocky Mountain House, June 1 - 3, 2007. The speakers are lined up, the entertainment is ready and we are set to let loose and celebrate Search and Rescue in Alberta. Registration packages have been sent to all of the teams in the province, so check with your team leaders, or you can go to www.rockysar.com to download the registration as well. It is going to be a good time, with some great entertainment and festivities for Saturday night. So come out, learn a little, mingle a little and party a lot! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HINTON CAVE RESCUE WORKSHOPS, MAY 4 - 8, 2007 These workshops are a joint effort between BC Cave Rescue (part of their Provincial Emergency Program), Hinton Search and Rescue, the Alberta Cave Rescue Organization (which is, as we speak, being re-built, structured and strengthened) and Inroads Mountain Sports (a member of all these organizations). For full details about these workshops -- Companion Cave Rescue Workshop and Rope Rescue Response Workshop -- contact Jerry Fochler jerry@inroads.ca Director of Operations, Inroads Mountain Sports (780) 963-7675 (Stony Plain) (780) 817- 1512 (Hinton) www.inroads.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUTHSAFE OUTDOORS YouthSafe Outdoors has had a positive eight year association with SAR Alberta, beginning with development of a Risk Management for Alberta Schools resource in 1999. We now enthusiastically invite all SARA members to attend a Risk Management for Community Youth Programming workshop. 1000 CDs produced will be provided at no cost to the organizations who request them. Get in early and secure one for your unit! We are presently receiving considerable requests for copies. There is a form available to reserve a CD-ROM, and a flyer outlining the workshops available. More information may be obtained from Lorna Hughes, Regional Liaison, YouthSafe Outdoors Lorna.Hughes@YouthSafeOutdoors.ca Tel: 780-432-1670 Direct: 250-652-5117 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-- 2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare@shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.cuug.ab.ca/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070415/44a9d1cd/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Tue May 15 15:25:15 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 15:25:15 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings, May 2007 Message-ID: <00cb01c79737$87eb78e0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO GIVE AWAY SARA Happenings is not sure but the Crowsnest Pass Rescue Society could have a 72 passenger bus, vintage 1970s, and a 4X4 suburban, perhaps 1987, to pass on to a group that could use either. Not sure because Brett Wuth passed the note along to me and Mike Taje from the Crowsnest group didn't follow up with confirmation. His original note said, "Just come and take the bus off our hands, as is. Have not determined a cost for the Suburban, it needs body work." Contact Mike if you want to know if either is still available; Michael Taje mtaje at shaw.ca Editor is posting the note anyway, because it points up two things about SARA Happenings. Firstly, this is a good medium for this kind of announcement between groups, and secondly that the deadline is the 14th of every month. This note was forwarded to me just after the April issue was mailed out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CIVIL EMERGENCY RESPONSE COURSE This also from the southern end of the Province:- The Pincher Creek SAR is hosting a Civil Emergency Response course May 26,27 in Pincher. Any interested SAR members, please contact Claus Burchert at burchert at shaw.ca or (403) 628-3346 Claus Burchert, Training Coordinator, Pincher Creek SAR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-LEARNING COURSE CATALOGUE -- LINK Shelley sent along this link to a catalogue listing some training opportunities with CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety) through Webinars, guides, courses etc that are mostly free. The link is :- http://www.ccohs.ca/education/pdf/TECatalogue.pdf If you need any more information about the catalogue, other than downloading and reading it, please contact Michelle Maschke sarabsecretary at yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANNUAL REPORT PACKAGES Also, a reminder that the Annual Report Packages are out and they need to be picked up in a timely fashion otherwise they are returned to SAR Alberta. Hello all. Just a note to remind you that the SAR Alberta Annual Report / AGM packages were sent out April 23, 2007 express post and will need to have signatures for pick up. You should have received them within 3 -- 5 days. Please ensure they were picked up and handed to the appropriate persons on your organizations for notice to attend the AGM June 2007. Let me know if you have not received them, I have the tracking numbers to trace them if need be. Packages for the SAR Alberta Board members and the webmaster were sent regular mail and do not have tracking numbers for them. Please let me know if you did not receive them. Michelle sarabsecretary at yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10TH ANNUAL ALBERTA SEARCH & RESCUE CONFERENCE SAR Alberta with Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue Invite you .. To the 10th Annual Alberta Search and Rescue Conference in Rocky Mountain House, June 1-- 3, 2007. The speakers are lined up, the entertainment is ready and we are set to let loose and celebrate Search and Rescue in Alberta. Registration packages have been sent to all of the teams in the province, so check with your team leaders, or you can go to www.rockysar.com to download the registration as well. It is going to be a good time, with some great entertainment and festivities for Saturday night. So come out, learn a little, mingle a little and party a lot! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TORNADO DAMAGE Some general interest items for SAR members include this from Rodney Dietrich accountinggod at shaw.ca Which is a link to photographs of the recent tornado damage to Greensburg, Kansas. http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/ Wowee, "I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto" Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AND A COUPLE MORE ITEMS Not sure what category to put these in. Michelle sent along another link to a medic alert catalogue -- http://www.medicalert.ca/en/products/browsePackages.asp And a piece on women's safety from Michelle, that is too long for me to paste more than a sample here. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to read the whole item should e-mail either me ( choare at shaw.ca ) or Michelle sarabsecretary at yahoo.com For the whole message. Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke) This is important information for females of ALL ages . When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends. I forwarded it to almost everyone in my address book. My male friends have female family/friends and this information is too important to miss someone. Please pass it along A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts : 1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair . Women with short hair are not common targets. Continued: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM The following was submitted by Brad Andres; Brad.Andres at gov.ab.ca Who you can contact for download copies of the guidelines and awards rules. The National Search and Rescue Secretariat''s annual Awards Program recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to search and rescue (SAR) in Canada. The Outstanding SAR Achievement Award is presented to an individual or group that has enhanced Canadian SAR through commitment and dedication. The Lead Minister for Search and Rescue will be invited to present the Award at the banquet held during the SARSCENE workshop on Saturday October 20, 2007, at the Victoria Conference Centre, Carson Hall, Salon A&B, Victoria, British Columbia. Certificates of Achievement will be awarded at the SARSCENE banquet to individuals or groups that have contributed to the Canadian SAR system. You are invited to submit nominations for both the Outstanding SAR Achievement Award and the Certificates of Achievement. The nominations will be assessed on the criteria listed. Complete information is available online. If you would like to nominate an individual or organization, please complete the attached nomination form and return it, along with supporting information, to the address on the form. Please ensure the nomination covers in detail the criteria and follows the guidelines as stated in the Award Rules. We appreciate the time and effort you put into nominations. The awards help to showcase the selflessness and hard work that epitomizes people who do search and rescue. Please distribute this call for nominations to your membership, colleagues, or anyone else who may be interested. The Secretariat looks forward to receiving your nominations for the Awards Program by June 29, 2007. Please contact me if you have any questions, or visit www.nss.gc.ca/site/awards/index_e.asp for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1--1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070515/1c71a32d/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Fri Jun 15 19:28:43 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:28:43 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings June 2007 Message-ID: <003f01c7afb5$adaa29a0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Greetings fellow SAR volunteers: I appreciate the honor that the SAR Alberta membership has shown me, by electing me as your President. I would like to thank Rocky SAR and their conference committee for an outstanding job of hosting the provincial SAR conference this year. I would also like to thank the outgoing Board members for their contributions last year. Since the AGM, I have received lots of engaging input, through conversations and emails, from many individuals with an obvious commitment to search and rescue in Alberta. I have reflected on the comments made to me, and have already started the process of engaging our executive team to examine the opportunities before us. Although this is still a work-in-progress, what I can identify is some of the common values that are consistent with the input I've received thus far. Those values are: timely and effective communication; positive image for SAR; better support from external sources; and a collective focus on achieving great things by working together. I am looking forward to working with the new Board to achieve some great outcomes by the end of the year, but also realize that 11 people can only achieve so much for an entire province. That is why I ask for your continued commitment, and increased support to enable your expectations to be addressed. If you are interested in enabling great things for SAR in Alberta, I would encourage you to get involved by contacting your Regional Director. Thank you. Rodney Dietrich SAR Alberta -- President accountinggod at shaw.ca http://www.saralberta.org "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." -- Henry Ford -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STAMPEDE PARADE VOLUNTEERS CALSARA has a need for 10 more volunteers to help with their activities for the Calgary Stampede Parade. If people need accommodations they will work on billeting arrangements. The Calgary Stampede Parade has a televised audience of 1 million people and there are over 1/4 of a million people on the parade route. It is the single largest PR event we do in Calgary and probably one of the biggest in the world for SAR visibility. Being very visible in our Yellows we provide first aid, lost & found, vehicle and crowd control, police and EMS assistance. We lead cheers, pass out prizes, promote Calgary, Alberta and SAR to the public on a one on one basis. Please email me to reserve your spot on the parade route. Fred Mills 2IC Public Relations Committee CALSARA Cell (403) 703_8319 ourhouse at telusplanet.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GIVE-- AWAY IS STILL ON . . . . . . as far as I know. Mike Taje was to confirm to the editor whether the two items listed in last month's SARA Happenings were still available. Quote from the item:- The Crowsnest Pass Rescue Society has a 72 passenger bus, vintage 1970s, and a 4X4 suburban, perhaps 1987, to pass on to a group that could use either. The original note said, "Just come and take the bus off our hands, as is. Have not determined a cost for the Suburban, it needs body work." Contact Mike if you want to know if either is still available; Michael Taje mtaje at shaw.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARSCENE MAGAZINE WANTS YOUR INPUT New Spring 2007 edition of the SARSCENE magazine is available. Check the SAR Alberta website if you have not already downloaded the Spring edition. It includes a survey that they request be completed and returned by July First. The direct link is http://www.nss.gc.ca/site/ss/magazine/vol16_2/index_e.asp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARSCENE 2007 The information for SARSCENE 2007 -- to be held in Victoria B.C. October 17-- 20 is available at http://www.nss.gc.ca/site/ss/workshop/2007/index_e.asp SARSCENE is now in its 16th year as the only national search and rescue event in Canada. It is a unique opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the key people in search and rescue. The British Columbia Provincial Emergency Program, in association with the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, will co-host this year's SARSCENE. SARSCENE will take place at the Victoria Conference Centre, next to the Fairmont Empress Hotel which faces Victoria's Inner Harbour. Key Dates in 2007 * May 31 -- Deadline for SARSCENE presentation proposals. * July 31 -- Early bird rate for exhibitors ends. * August 31 -- Early bird rate for registrations ends. For more information contact the National Search and Rescue Secretariat at 1-800-727-9414 or sarscene2007 at nss.gc.ca. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070615/d3e763d8/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Sun Jul 15 16:32:53 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:32:53 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings July 2007 Message-ID: <004f01c7c730$15c777e0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- APPRECIATION This from Vivian Cormack, the new Public Relations/Fund Development Coordinator for CALSARA, who has submitted a short thank you to the newsletter. As a member of Calgary Search and Rescue Association I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the two call-outs on June 22 and 23, 2007. It was a pleasure meeting and working with the members of the other SAR groups who were present. On behalf of the members of CALSARA, we look forward to working and training with you in the near future. Vivian Cormack Public Relations/Fund Development Coordinator -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHITECOURT -- BASIC SAR SKILLS GPS, Map & Compass; SATURDAY OCTOBER 27TH , 2007 Whitecourt Search & Rescue is hosting an EMA Grant-funded one day (8 hr) Course for Basic SAR Skills for GPS, Map & Compass. contact Lisa Martiniuk, Training, Whitecourt Search & Rescue (780) 778-4866 or cell (780) 706-5268, lisrat at telus.net , for details. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEDICAIR PILOT PROJECT GETS OFF THE GROUND This Item adapted from a MedicineHatNews.com article by NICOLE RIVA Jun 8, 2007 via the SAR Alberta website. Wishful thinking would keep a new emergency response vehicle on the ground, but front-line workers are certain it will spend plenty of time in the air. The Rotary Rescue Project was unveiled Thursday, with the public getting its first look at the region's only helicopter dedicated to medical evacuations. The helicopter is part of a one-year pilot project funded by public donations and municipal grants totalling $750,000. Funds were raised by the MedicAir Society through various events and donations including a $175,000 donation from the Sunrise Rotary Club. Gerald Gaede, president of the MedicAir society said this project wouldn't be possible without the public, and it won't continue if the public doesn't maintain its support. It will cost $750,000 per year to keep the helicopter in the air, and government funding isn't available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUNTIES LAUNCH NEW COP CHOPPER Another chopper piece - this from the Edmonton Sun via SAR Alberta website. Alberta Mounties have a new eye in the sky as they battle crime across the province. RCMP K Division's $3.5 million Eurocopter AS 350B3 got an official launch today (June 21st) from RCMP brass and government dignitaries at the RCMP Air Services hangar. Among its high-tech gadgets, the Eurocopter has an infrared eye for night flights, a DVD recorder and it can also transmit live footage to a command post on the ground. Heat-sensing technology can reveal possible marijuana grow-ops or other drug operations. "The hotter it is, the whiter it appears," said pilot Chris Gaunt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070715/a2c312c0/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Sun Aug 5 12:21:20 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:21:20 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings Special Issue Aug 2007 Message-ID: <004601c7d78d$6c3dd2a0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> SPECIAL EDITION OF THE NEWSLETTER Rodney Dietrich, SAR Alberta President, has requested this special edition of the newsletter to draw the membership's attention to the SAR Alberta Provincial Issues Page of the SAR Alberta website. http://www.saralberta.org/provincialissues/provincialissuesindex.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE In response to membership interest in SAR Alberta's work on provincial level issues, I have issued an Address to the membership of SAR Alberta and directed that more information be provided via SAR Alberta's website. I encourage you to review all the information recently posted, and become more engaged with your fellow SAR workers in these matters which have a great impact on you and how SAR is delivered for our province. Information available at SAR Alberta's website: www.saralberta.org Thank you. Rod Dietrich President SAR Alberta -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRIEF EDITORIAL What Provincial agency should SAR come under? Changes are in the wind, and membership involvement is essential. In order to encourage members to follow the President's message above -- right away and not put it off -- I can say from my reading of the material that this issue is vitally important to SAR Alberta in the way the organization will operate and be funded in the future. Everyone needs to be involved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA Happenings Note The regular issue of the newsletter may be out a little later this month, to give groups time to digest the above information. If your group has a communication for other groups or members of SAR Alberta -- advice, announcements, greetings, kudos, whatever -- please send them to me by August 19th and I will have the August issue out soon after. The regular submission and subscription paragraph is below for the appropriate links. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070805/9c791907/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Tue Aug 21 17:27:19 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:27:19 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings -- August 2007 Message-ID: <009601c7e44a$d1b40fe0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is a late version of our regular mailing, after the special issue of August 5th. SARA Happenings is issued to foster communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e_mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHITECOURT - BASIC SAR SKILLS GPS, Map & Compass; SATURDAY OCTOBER 27TH , 2007 Whitecourt Search & Rescue is hosting an EMA Grant-funded one-day (8 hr) Course for Basic SAR Skills for GPS, Map & Compass. contact Lisa Martiniuk, Training, lisrat at telus.net , for details. Whitecourt Search & Rescue (780) 778-4866 or cell (780) 706-5268, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARDAA JUNE NEWSLETTER The current newsletter is now available at the website - http://www.sardaa.ca Click the newsletter icon toward the end of the main page. -- Michelle L. Limoges Search & Rescue Dog Association of Alberta udcdoberman at shaw.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAMILY UPSET ABOUT SEARCH The Editor noticed this in the Toronto Star of August 12th - another misunderstanding about the nature of professional Search and Rescue. If the news article is to be believed, the search was stopped and started again more than once. Anyone wanting to look at the full article can email the editor choare at shaw.ca for a copy. I quote passages from the article:- "The family of a Toronto woman who disappeared in the dense woods and rugged terrain of Northwestern Ontario is angry that they've been shut out of the search for her. Late yesterday, the family was told the search was resuming last night and would pick up again this morning. By then, it was too late for Toronto-area family to make the long drive to the search area. *** The civilian search resumed yesterday with about 100 volunteers organized by local municipalities aiding the estimated 80 OPP officers, before Natural Resources informed the civilian search team that they would need to leave the area at 3:30 p.m. "We wanted to join so we can encourage the volunteer searchers," said (family member) Caguicla. "The OPP can't search everywhere, we want to be able to ensure the search is thorough and turn over every stone. "We have to consider the possibility she could be abducted, but without the volunteers we feel like the search won't be as thorough ... we're very happy they decided to resume the civilian search, but unfortunately we will not be able to be a part of it." Editor: This report makes it sound as if the search was poorly conducted but how much of that is due to the reporter's confusion? I'd suggest this is one more example of the need for trained local SAR groups, and for a proper communications set up with every operation to ensure not only that the search runs smoothly, but that everyone (including the press in a distant city) sees why decisions were made. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1_1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e_mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070821/b19befa8/attachment.html From choare at shaw.ca Sat Sep 15 20:53:41 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:53:41 -0600 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings September 2007 Message-ID: <004401c7f80c$c9f633c0$62a04018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is a late version of our regular mailing, after the special issue of August 5th. SARA Happenings is issued to foster communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e_mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHITECOURT - BASIC SAR SKILLS GPS, Map & Compass; SATURDAY OCTOBER 27TH , 2007 Whitecourt Search & Rescue is hosting an EMA Grant-funded one-day (8 hr) Course for Basic SAR Skills for GPS, Map & Compass. contact Lisa Martiniuk, Training, Whitecourt Search & Rescue (780) 778-4866 or cell (780) 706-5268, lisrat at telus.net , for details. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOUTING MAGAZINE ARTICLE Michelle forwarded an article to SARA Happenings that had been send to her by Olds SAR. The Leader, for August/September this year, has a comprehensive article on survival by Dr Gino F. Ferri PhD. The editor would have liked to include a sample, but unfortunately the email that was sent had the article as an image and not text. Dr Ferri discusses the psychological aspects of survival, the extent of survival knowledge as a factor in remaining calm and adapting competently, and the personality traits that assist in promoting survival. Perhaps SAR Alberta can obtain reprints of the article for interested groups. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INFORMATION FACT SHEET Workers' compensation board information fact sheet for volunteer emergency service workers As referenced in President Rod Dietrich's July 31st Address, SAR Alberta has been advocating on behalf of SAR volunteers for clarification and commitment regarding WCB coverage. One of the outcomes of that effort is the following Fact Sheet provided by WCB. Please review and share with your fellow SAR volunteers. WCB Information Fact Sheet is available from a link on the SAR Alberta website. Direct any questions or comments about the Fact Sheet to Scott Pepper (AEMA) at Scott.Pepper at gov.ab.ca Please CC President Rod Dietrich at accountinggod at shaw.ca in any email correspondence to Alberta Government, so SAR Alberta can stay aware of membership interest and concerns for future advocacy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNIVERSAL TRACKING SERVICES Edmonton Regional SAR is the host of a course sponsored via the Ground Search and Rescue Grant from Emergency Management Alberta. Contact persons: are Jolie Janssen, 780.674.5589,or e_mail jokena at telusplanet.net UTS contact is Marvin Martin, home_541.753.5074, or e_mail: marvinmmartin at aol.com Date: September 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2007 Location: Alberta Justice Staff College, Edmonton, Alberta Time: 0900 Friday through 1300 Sunday Meals & Accommodations: Meals and lodging are the responsibility of the students. Motels and restaurants are available. Prerequisite: There is no prerequisite for those attending the Track Aware class. Those attending the Tracker I class must be UTS certified Track Aware. Tracker II students must be UTS Tracker I certified. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1_1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi_bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e_mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20070915/83643d96/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Fri Nov 16 11:37:43 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:37:43 -0700 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings November 2007 Message-ID: <006001c8287f$c6b70560$90ac4018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is our regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAR ALBERTA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING TOMORROW -- NOVEMBER 17TH. RED DEER. Please remember to attend the 2007 SAR Alberta General Membership Meeting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS AND MEMBERSHIP LISTS A reminder from Shelly that she needs your latest stats and membership lists. Her note to me says she only has information from ten teams at present. Michelle E-mail Address(es): sara_secretary at castrov.cuug.ab.ca mdmaschke at yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCENTDOG NEWS Sorry that this is late, due to my mixup with October's SARA Happenings. The September issue is now available on the web site _ www.sardaa.ca __ Michelle L. Limoges udcdoberman at shaw.ca Search & Rescue Dog Association of Alberta Web site _ http://www.sardaa.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMERCIAL SAR Technology Inc. is pleased to announce the release of 'Incident Commander Pro'! -- the premier software tool for planning and mapping Search, Rescue & Emergency -- Response missions. For more information please visit the SAR Technology website at: http://sartechnology.ca/ Sincerely, Martin Colwell. SAR Technology Inc. http://sartechnology.ca/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEADERSHIP LESSONS Shelly keeps sending me these for SARA Happenings. I guess I'd better include one . They come from an outfit called http://www.walkthetalk.com/ . Weekly tips to help you and your colleagues become more effective and respected leaders. Today's Topic: Solving Performance Problems: Why ask for their help?" Four of the most powerful words in the English language are ""I need your help."" Asking for assistance is a great way to fix performance problems. It''s a sign of strength, not weakness. Effective leaders realize two things: 1. They don''t have all the answers. 2. They benefit in the long run from asking for help from the people around them. You''ll build commitment by asking more than telling. By asking for people''s input and help, you gain the cooperation you need to build high performance. And, you demonstrate that you value others'' opinions -- a good way to enhance their self-esteem. More importantly, you''re likely to end up with a better solution than you would by proceeding on your own with no input. Besides that, people support solutions that they feel they had a say in developing. Take a look at http://www.walkthetalk.com/ . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INSTRUCTOR LISTING ON WIKI Here's a note from Cindy Hesleton Cindy.Heselton at calgary.ca Hi everyone, Well, the beauty of not being very structured in Alberta is that people can take initiative..so that's what I have done.. Remember when Lisa worked so hard a few years ago putting together an instructor listing? Well, I've created one in the SAR Alberta Wiki pages. This way, people can enter their own information directly and voila -- it's instantly accessible to everyone. I admit, I still like the look and feel of Lisa's much better..but by using a Wiki, we can have people add/manage their own contact information... So, check it out...let me know if you have suggested changes (or hell, change it yourself..that's the beauty of wiki's). I put my name under a couple of categories as examples... http://saralberta.dnsalias.org:8080/CourseInstructors Happy wiki_ing... Cindy Heselton, P. Eng Environmental Specialist; Transportation Infrastructure; The City of Calgary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara_happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20071116/9c1e9787/attachment.htm From choare at shaw.ca Mon Dec 24 08:11:32 2007 From: choare at shaw.ca (Chris Hoare) Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 08:11:32 -0700 Subject: [SaraHap] SARA Happenings -- Christmas 2007 Message-ID: <001f01c8463f$457468c0$90ac4018@lb.shawcable.net> Hi All: This is a late version of our regular mailing, bringing Christmas Greetings and perhaps a forward look to our activities in 2008. SARA Happenings is issued to foster communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 328 e-mail addresses that are listed as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to be added to the mailing list. Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEASONAL GREETINGS As another year comes to an end, I just want to say - Thank you - for all your hard work and dedication during the year. As professional volunteers you have shown Albertans what we do best. I am wishing you, your team and your families an enjoyable time during the festive season, here's hoping you can send spend time with family and friends. I look forward to working with you in the new year Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Rodney Dietrich SAR Alberta - President -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU KNOW YOU ARE A SAR JUNKIE WHEN: * You have more than 4 rolls of flagging in your car at any one time What color do you want?? Orange? Lime?) * You can hold an entire crew briefing in acronyms (Considering the PLS, LKP and POD the Type 3 POA for SEC 3 will be...) * You can wear a different rescue shirt everyday of the week. (CARDA on Monday, EDCSAR on Tuesday, NASAR on Wednesday...) * All of your Christmas wish list items are in the catalogs from Search Gear, Galls, SAR Camp, etc/ * You think blaze orange is a great color. * You own LOTS of stuff that is BLAZE ORANGE. * You always have these items in the back of your car: 24 hour SAR pack, Wilderness Medical Kit, rope throw bag, a few coils of static line, and enough climbing hardware to decrease you gas mileage to 10 gallons per mile. * You've ever duct taped together rain gear (& more!) * You have yet to encounter a problem that duct tape and a Leatherman tool can't fix. * You've ever had a heated debate between Gibbs vs. Prussics, Leatherman tool vs. Gerber, or 1/3 strength Gatorade vs. ? strength Gatorade. * You can vow that the saying "A shower a day keeps the flies away" is true from experience. * You lost all your table manners when you joined your SAR team. * You've considered a turkey sandwich & Gatorade fine dining after 3days in the field. * You can splint just about anything with sticks, zip ties and duct tape * Your favorite free time activity is going through your SAR gear. * Reflective tape is a sought after fashion accessory. * You have a CPR mask, flashlight, knife & rescue 8 bottle opener on your keyring. * You have more than 5 rescue decals or 3 radio antennas on you personal vehicle. * You know all of your local SAR radio frequencies by heart. * You think SAR conferences are a great vacation. * You can't go to a SAR conference with out spending $100 at the gear vendors. if you get away that cheap!) * Your friends have teased you by leaving you strapped in a stokes litter. * You take a 30lb pack to go for a day hike with friends. * The criteria for your personal vehicle was having 4 wheel drive and ample gear space. * You're an Advil junkie. * You have a rescue cut in more than 1 pair of boots. * You don't own anything that is cotton. * This list actually makes sense to you! Thanks for this one, Michelle. It's on the web at > http://www.dbs-sar.com/SARJunkie.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AND FOR ALL YOU SAR JUNKIES Michelle sent this link for some serious reading over the holidays. It's from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. http://www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2007/11/ezine.html?id=12583&link=1#inthenews In the News: Fatigue - The Foe You Don't Want to Know at Work Hazard Alerts: Seafarer Safety OSH Answers: MSDS - A Safe Read Partner News: Pushing, Pulling, Lifting and Lowering CCOHS News: Health and Safety Committees -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW IN THE USA Congress passes Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act WASHINGTON - New legislation was passed Tuesday that will prohibit the federal government from taxing benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by state and local authorities. The Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA) was passed by the House of Representatives after it went through the Senate last week. The act, one of the NVFC's top legislative priorities in 2007, is now headed to the president for signature. Leaders from the NVFC testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in October about the need to protect the benefits communities across the country provide to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel as a recruitment and retention tool. "Federal taxation of volunteer first responder benefits has several effects," said John McAuliffe, NVFC Connecticut State Director, during the testimony. "The most obvious is to reduce the value of the benefit to the volunteer." The language that passed in H.R. 3648 exempts all tax benefits provided by state and local units of government to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel from taxation by the federal government. Additionally, the first $360 per year of any other type of benefit that a volunteer receives would be exempted from taxation. Item sent in by Rodney Dietrich, SAR Alberta - President -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14th of each month. Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so, please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at choare at shaw.ca PLEASE DO include contact information for members to gain further information. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit http://castrov.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sara-happenings enter your e-mail address and click on "Edit Options". Automatic subscribers will need to click on "EMail My Password to Me". You can subscribe and unsubscribe on the same page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://castrov.dyndns.org/pipermail/sara-happenings/attachments/20071224/07e64222/attachment.htm