[SaraHap] SARA Happenings December 2009

Thu Dec 17 19:50:29 MST 2009

Hi All: 

SARA Happenings is issued to foster communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 226 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. 

On Behalf of the SAR Alberta Executive, Board of Directors and Deputy Directors, we would like to wish all a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

President
Monica Ahlstrom

(Note: The Xmas song that Monica sent to be included could not be opened; the file was in .docx)

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Happy Holidays

It is that time of year when many reflect on the old year coming to an
end and how we can all do better in the upcoming new year. The Search
and Rescue community in Alberta should be very proud of the past year
and their desire and commitment to help ours in time of need. On behalf
of the RCMP in Alberta "Thank You" for being there and for your
assistance. All the best of the holiday season and in 2010!

Sgt. Mike Self and Cpl. Al Fraser

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CALGARY SEARCH AND RESCUE REVIEW OF 2009

Calgary Search and Rescue started 2009 with the recruitment and training 
of 27 new members. The summer was initially fairly quiet with no 
searches, but we were involved with various public relations and fund 
raising events around the city: Canada Day festivities, the Stampede and 
the Lions' Golf Tournament.
Suddenly, things got very busy, starting with the Rocky Mountain House 
missing person search in the heat of August, with thanks to Rocky SAR 
for calling us up there. We were then called in for evidence searches 
within the city. At one point we had 5 searches within 9 days.

This year, our training team ran three All Members' Days, as a great way 
to combine administrative, training and social functions for the group. 

We also ran a mock search in Kananaskis in October which coincided with 
the first snow of the year. Guy Latour has trained a Rope Rescue team 
and congratulations to the 15 members who now form the CALSARA Rope 
Team. We also have an operational Bike Team. The new provincial 
insurance coverage is very welcome, and the consistent coverage across 
all SAR Alberta groups will make it easier to invite other SAR teams to 
our training events in the future.

We are currently planning next year's recruitment program, and some 
preventative SAR events with "Hug a Tree and Survive" presentations at 
local schools. CALSARA is organizing a 24 hour run in the fall of 2010, 
something like an urban version of the Grande Cache Death Race, but 
hopefully with a name that is more fitting with the principles of Search 
and Rescue. So we'll keep you all posted and if you want to help out, or 
you want to enter a team, we look forward to hearing from you.

Jim Wilson - Public Relations Coordinator, Calgary Search and Rescue 
Association pr-coordinator at calsara.com

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CALLING ALL TRACKERSMichelle Hebert (UTS Sign-cutter) and Les Brace (Canadian Tracking Technologies) invite you to join us in a tracking exercise.

We supply the location, scenario to work out, meeting room for briefing and debriefing, help for novice trackers and interested people, snacks and lunch.

You supply tracking stick (some extra available), notepad and pencil, and enthusiasm.

All trackers are welcome., 

Purpose: To get the tracking community together for practice and socializing.

Where: Mulhurst Lutheran Camp, www.mulhurstlutherancamp.ca 

When: April 17th, 2010, 9:00am to 5:00pm

Note: (hours for this practice can be claimed as UTS tracking hours)

If you are interested in coming or have any questions, please contact Michelle.

mhebert at airsurfer.ca 

780-445-9022 

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FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT

SAR Alberta received a grant this year to hire a consultant to help develop the financial capacity and strategic direction of the organization. Interviews for the position were held in November and Tamara Alexander was offered the five month contract position. Along with working to raise funds for SAR Alberta Tamara will also be working on a toolkit to help teams with their fundraising efforts. 

Tamara Alexander - Bio

Tamara has been professional in fund development and nonprofit management for almost 20 years. In that time she has held senior positions with non-profit organizations that range in size from a one person shop to large hospital foundation. She has stewarded donor programs from those just starting out, to those receiving over $10m annually in revenue. Tamara brings experience in building and stewarding major gifts programs, cultivating corporate support, grant writing, planned giving strategies, managing large and complex annual giving programs, DRTV, direct mail internet communications and building monthly donor programs. 

Her area of specialty is building broad based, grass roots community support through direct response vehicles. In her most recent position Tamara was the Senior Strategist with Touchworks Communications, a Calgary based company that provided consulting to the non-profit sector on direct response, communication, monthly donor files, donor database analysis and strategic planning.

Accredited as a Certified Fundraising Professional (CFRE) in 1994, Tamara was one of the first development professionals in Canada to receive professional certification. Believing strongly in volunteerism, she sits on the board of several non-profits as well as volunteering on the front lines in both a personal and professional capacity. 

Some of the many organizations Tamara has worked with in either a professional or volunteer capacity include the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Calgary Zoo, Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, Edmonton Mustard Seed, Calgary Humane Society, Cochrane Humane Society, Boys and Girls Clubs, Scouts Canada - Chinook Council, Calgary and Area United Way, Variety Club, Toronto Humane Society and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Foundation.

On the personal side Tamara's interests include travel, wildlife photography, skiing, hiking and spending time in her garden.

Activities

Tamara has joined the SAR Alberta team bringing her expertise in a broad range of fund development programs to help build financial capacity and allow SAR Alberta to take the next step in its organizational development. Over the next 5 months, Tamara will be creating both a short term and a long term fund development strategy that will begin to build a diverse donorbase of individuals, businesses, foundations, service clubs and other interested organizations in order to build a sustainable funding base. 

Other projects that Tamara will take on are to help re-develop the current website to one that is user friendly, information driven, and helpful to both current SAR volunteers and the community. As well, Tamara will be developing a tool-kit to help SAR volunteer teams who are fundraising in their own communities. 

Submitted by Monica Ahlstrom, mavada at cruzinternet.com 

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DONATION FOR HINTON SAR 

On November 25 Glenn Cook Area 4 Operations Leader for Conoco Phillips presented HSAR with a cheque for $5,000 in recognition and support of their service to the general public. The funds were used to procure all weather jackets for HSAR members. From left to right the attached picture (courtesy The Hinton Voice) shows Marc Symbaluk President HSAR, Glen Cook and Rob Lehne of Conoco Phillips and Ed Geoffrey Comms Director HSAR holding one of the new jackets.

(Note: This insertion is something of a test, since recipients of the newsletter use just about every e-mail program known to man (and women and nerds). If you see the copy of the picture - good for you - if you have a blank or some annoying image obliterating part of the newsletter, please let the editor know, and he won't do it again.)

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SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUPS TEST SKILLS

By Stacy O'Brien - Red Deer Advocate

Published: November 16, 2009 6:29 AM 

Updated: November 16, 2009 8:58 AM 

A cracked lower leg bone protruded through Ron Morrison's khaki pants and blood-red stains spilled around the slash in his slacks. From the look of the wound you'd expect Morrison would be screaming in agony, but he was all smiles on Saturday. 

The gruesome wound was merely stage make-up, created to help test the skills of nine volunteers for Red Deer and Didsbury Search and Rescue groups this past Saturday at Heritage Ranch in Red Deer. The testing was the culmination of an 80-hour course of basic skills training that every search and rescue person must undergo. 

Tyler Landon, of Red Deer, decided to take the course because he wanted to start volunteering and he wants to be a firefighter in the future. 

"It's a good way to get experience and help out," said the 20-year-old. He plans to train as a firefighter in British Columbia in January. 

"I like the outdoors. I haven't done a ton of it before so it's a good way to gain knowledge about it." 

During Saturday's test, the new search and rescue volunteers had to start a fire from scratch in 15 minutes, hike three kilometres, have 10 critical items in their packs, build a shelter, give first aid, navigate, search for evidence in a field and finally - once nighfall hit - search for someone in the woods. The activities started at around 1 p.m. and continued into the evening. 

"I think I should be OK as long as I didn't forget too much stuff," said Landon, early in the day. 

The activities felt a little like watching the television show Survivorman up close. "We like to challenge them," said Randi Butler, logistics manager for Red Deer Search and Rescue. 

She said the challenge for the new volunteers is for them to remember what they've learned and not get nervous. Organizers had the site set up as any search operation would be, with the Red Deer Search and Rescue's command post on site. 

The command post, created out of a travel trailer, is set up with wall-to-wall whiteboard space and high-tech computer equipment that allows searchers to track on a digital map what areas have been searched through GPS. 

Red Deer Search and Rescue volunteers can print out profiles based on the kind of person who is lost to help them determine how to best use their resources in a search. For instance, a hunter from Alberta moves in a much different way through the woods then a child, someone with Alzheimer's or a person with developmental disabilities who is lost. 

Red Deer Search and Rescue volunteers help the RCMP search for people and evidence around 30 times a year, said Ric Henderson, one of the Red Deer Search and Rescue trainers. 

Henderson said the organization is always looking for new recruits. "It is like any volunteer organization, the more people the better," he said. 

For more information go to www.reddeersar.com . 

(Ed. Note: this submission came too late for last month's newsletter.)

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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.

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