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<P><B><FONT face=Arial>Hi All:</B> </P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter.
</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P></FONT><B><FONT face=Arial size=5><FONT face=Arial size=5>
<P>IT’S ONLY 10 DAYS AWAY</P></B></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial>
<P>Operation Octopus will officially be underway in less than 10 days. October
24th and 25<SUP>th</SUP>. We are excited to report that we have at least 130
searchers who have confirmed their attendance and at least another 25-20 support
and technical personnel who will be joining us for this exciting learning
endeavor.</P>
<P>A few new notes to pass on to you:</P>
<P>* Canada Task Force 2 (CAN2) will be attending and will be providing some
much anticipated warmth and sustenance. Seeing what this team has to offer will
make it very much worthwhile to come out</P>
<P>*There will registration both at the gate to Chambers Creek as well as
official exercise registration for those actively in the search which will be at
the command post. Please make sure you put yourself down so we can accurately
reflect our numbers</P>
<P>*There will be supper on Saturday night from 1700-1900 for ALL to attend.</P>
<P>*Sunday morning there will be breakfast for everyone there and this will be
followed at 0900 by an education session.</P>
<P>*We would request that each team attending have one team
leader/representative that will be able to attend the final debriefing at 1100
on Sunday and speak on behalf of their team. This same person will also be
responsible for collecting mileage and accommodation receipts and submitting
them. We will have an expense form available for people to fill out. We are very
optimistic that there will be reimbursement potential, but until all bills and
receipts are in exact amounts cannot be tabulated. Therefore we are asking
everyone to submit their mileage and receipts to Rocky Search and Rescue by
November 6, 2009.</P>
<P>*There is some random camping available at the area, but as previously
mentioned Hela Ventures also have tenting and RV sites available as well as some
cabins. This site is only 5 minutes from the search base. As well, there are a
number of possibilities in Rocky which is 32 km from the search base. The
Walking Eagle Lodge (403-845-2804) in particular has allowed for a corporate
rate ($55-97), so if booking with them please mention that you will be
attending.</P>
<P>Any other last minute questions can be directed to Edward Van Heeren at
</FONT><A href="mailto:president@rockysar.com"><U><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>president@rockysar.com</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>
<HR>
</P>
<P><STRONG>FROM THE SARA PRESIDENT</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Insurance</STRONG>There has been no announcement or any indication
from the Minister Ray Danyluk’s office on what direction they are going to take
with the insurance. When asked for an update and what options were being looked
at the reply was that a briefing note "with all the salient points" had been
sent to the Minister but protocol did not allow them to release what was in that
briefing – only the Minister could release the information. Though AEMA has
called SAR Alberta for information it has at no time sat down and discussed the
various options on the table and possible solutions. SAR Alberta will continue
to pursue the matter to ensure that teams are adequately covered in the
province.</P><B>
<P>Provincial Exercise</B> </P>
<P>Over 150 participants are expected to attend the provincial exercise on Oct
24 and 25. Invited guests for the event will include Search and Rescue Volunteer
Association of Canada President Harry Blackmore and Executive Director David Day
who will be coming out from Newfoundland. SAR Alberta appreciates all those SAR
volunteers who have committed their time to participate in the event. We hope
you have a good time and that it is a useful and fun experience for all that
attend.</P><B>
<P>Contract position</P></B>
<P>SAR Alberta is now advertising for the contract position to help in building
the capacity for the organization. If you are interested or know of someone who
may be interested in this position please contact your board member or the SAR
Alberta Executive.</P><B>
<P>Adventure Smart </P></B>
<P>SAR Alberta now has 13 people trained in the Adventure Smart program who will
eventually be training other trainers in the province. A committee has been set
up to work on the roll out of the program across the province. Carianne Budalich
from Grande Prairie Technical SAR is the committee chair. All teams are
encouraged to get the initial training in of the three modules within the
program. All those who currently teach Hug-A-Tree should learn the new Adventure
Smart program as Hug-A-Tree is copyrighted and must be taught in a specific way.
</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><STRONG>STANDARDS COMMITTEE</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>Good day fellow SAR providers</P>
<P>The standards committee has made some progress over the summer with regards
to Quad, Snowmobile, and the Boat standard. The standards were submitted in the
appropriate format by Al Tomalty and were presented to the SAR AB exec and board
members that attended the Sept board meeting by myself. The board voted to
accept the standards with one small change to the snowmobile standard,
recognizing the Portage college as a course provider. Keep in mind that these
are the minimum standards and if the situation that your particular team is in
requires extra JPR's ( job performance requirements ) you can customize the
course, with the approved instructor, to meet your requirements. </P>
<P>The standards committee is working with AEMA on the Basic SAR Skills standard
and we should see something in the near future on this matter. The new standards
were sent to the board members for distribution on Sept 27th and should have
been forwarded to all members of all teams by now. If you have not seen them
please e-mail your regional rep or myself to receive a copy. We all need to be
diligent at being on the same page in the knowledge department as far as
standards implementation.</P>
<P>Don Drebert <A href="mailto:ddrebert@telus.net">ddrebert@telus.net</A>
</P>
<P>Vice President</P>
<P>Search and Rescue Alberta</P>
<P>780-542-2817 (H)</P>
<P>780-202-2817 (C)</P></FONT>
<P><STRONG>
<HR>
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>SAR SERVICE AWARDS</STRONG></P>
<P>Mike Self has submitted the following request for everyone to remember that
applications for the SAR Service Awards must be submitted on the proper form and
format. Quote "As you are aware our call letter and application form for SAR
Service Awards has gone out through SARAB for posting on their site. We are
starting to receive service award submissions on the wrong forms, incomplete
submissions and submissions involving only names on simple e-mails."</P>
<P>The instructions are appended below.</P><B></B>
<P>September 24th, 2009</P>
<P>An open letter to all Civilian Search and Rescue Volunteers:</P>
<P>The experience and commitment of SAR volunteers is an important resource in
assisting the RCMP in our delivery of Search and Rescue Service throughout
Alberta. Consequently, the "K" Division RCMP has implemented an award program to
acknowledge the contribution of Civilian Search and Rescue Volunteers to the
RCMP at our detachments throughout Alberta. </P>
<P>The award consists of a uniquely designed certificate and lapel pin which
will be presented to volunteers who have completed five, ten, or fifteen years
of Search and Rescue service. All Search and Rescue volunteers are eligible to
apply for the award, regardless of their role with the team. The only
eligibility requirements are that the volunteers be a current member in good
standing with his or her Search and Rescue team and that they have volunteered
the required number of years for the award requested</P>
<P>It is our intention to maintain the program through the future, and in the
fullness of time, the award levels will be increased to recognize volunteers
reaching twenty or more years of service. Once the years of historical service
are accounted for and acknowledged, the program will settle into a pattern of
presenting the awards with natural progression as volunteers move through the
years of service landmarks.</P>
<P>As 2003 saw the launch of the program, we realize that the service periods
for eligible volunteers will vary widely, the cut off date for the year 2009
eligible service has been set at December 31st, 2009, and any volunteers having
completed five, ten, fifteen or 20 years of service as of that date are eligible
for one or more awards, matching their years of service. Search and Rescue
groups are invited to review their records and submit the names of eligible
candidates, and where applicable, indicate those volunteers deserving of
multiple awards. </P>
<P>It is the responsibility the volunteer’s Search and Rescue team, as well as
the volunteer, to ensure that an application is submitted to request an award.
Applications must be submitted to the RCMP "K" Division SAR Coordinator by
February 28th, 2010. Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be
returned. Completed forms must be sent to the RCMP "K" Division SAR Coordinator
via E-MAIL: mike.self@rcmp-grc.gc.ca OR al.fraser@rcmp-grc.gc.ca This is
applicable to the initial launch as well as through coming years. The RCMP will
not be maintaining a database of Search and Rescue volunteers and automatically
generating the awards. </P>
<P>The partnership between the RCMP and the civilian Search and Rescue community
is an integral part of our Search and Rescue presence in Alberta and we are
grateful for your unselfish commitment to your community. </P>
<P>Sincerely yours</P>
<P>M. W. (Mike) SELF, Sgt. </FONT><A
href="mailto:Mike.SELF@rcmp-grc.gc.ca"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Mike.SELF@rcmp-grc.gc.ca</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> </P>
<P>"K" Division Criminal Operations</P>
<P>SAR Coordinator</P>
<P>11140 – 109th Street</P>
<P>Edmonton, AB, T5G 2T4</P><B>
<P> </P></B>
<P>RCMP "K" DIVISION 2009</P>
<P>CIVILIAN SAR VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AWARD</P>
<P>INSTRUCTION for COMPLETION</P>
<P>1.Applications for the RCMP "K" Division Civilian SAR Volunteer recognition
Award must be submitted on the included form. (See SARA website)</P>
<P>2.An eligible applicant is any Civilian SAR Volunteer who is a current member
in good standing with a SAR team and has completed the required number of years
of volunteer SAR service for the award requested as of December 31st 2009.</P>
<P>3.Applications must be received no later than February 28th 2010.</P>
<P>4.Applications must be signed by a member of the applicant’s SAR team
executive confirming that eligibility requirements have been met.</P>
<P>5.SAR service is calculated on the total years of SAR service and does not
have to be continuous. Likewise, volunteer SAR service with multiple groups is
acceptable. </P>
<P>a. example 1: A volunteer who has five years of continuous SAR service
divided into 2 years service with SAR Team "A" followed by 3 years service with
SAR team "B" would be eligible for an award. </P>
<P>b. Example 2: A volunteer who has a total of five years of non-continuous SAR
service, e.g. 2 years of service with SAR Team "A" followed by 2 years with no
SAR involvement, concluding with 3 years service with SAR team "B" would be
eligible for a five year award, albeit the total calendar period spanned more
than five calendar years</P>
<P>Note: These provisions are included to ensure that volunteers who are forced
to relocate or are unable to dedicate to SAR for a period due to work or
personal commitments retain their eligibility.</P>
<P>6. Incomplete forms will be not be considered and will be returned to the
applicant.</P><B></B>
<P>The application forms can be downloaded from the SAR Alberta website
</FONT><A href="http://www.saralberta.org/"><U><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>http://www.saralberta.org/</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>
</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P><B>
<P>ALBERTA EMERGENCY SERVICE MEDAL</P></B>
<P>Michelle Limoges and Mary-Ann Warren of the Search & Rescue Dog
Association of Alberta (SARDAA) were awarded the Alberta Emergency Service Medal
September 30, 2009. </P>
<P>These medals are presented, upon application supported by an official agency,
to those who have at least 12 years service within the SAR community. Michelle
is celebrating 20 years with SARDAA as Secretary and a dog handler; Mary-Ann is
celebrating 15 years as a dog handler and contributes her expertise as SARDAA’s
Training Director.</P>
<P>Chief Mike Boyd, Edmonton Police Service, presented the medals on behalf of
the Province at a ceremony in Police Headquarters during a regular meeting of
the EPS Executive Officers Team. Michelle and Mary-Ann are honoured to have
received these medals, particularly since they were presented by Edmonton Police
Service with whom we have worked on many SAR incidents.</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P>
<P><STRONG>RACE AGAINST TIME </STRONG></P>
<P>This from Bev Sliger, President, Red Deer Search and Rescue. The images
cannot be reproduced here but the two links worked for me.</P>
<P><A
href="http://media.albertalocalnews.com/images/320*216/A012+rescuers.jpg.jpg">http://media.albertalocalnews.com/images/320*216/A012+rescuers.jpg.jpg</A>
</P><B></B>
<P>Two search and rescuers returned home on Wednesday after spending a full day
scouring for earthquake survivors in Indonesia. Marcel Schur and Adam Beverley
of the Red Deer-based Canadian International Rescue Organization rushed to help
after a powerful earthquake, measuring 7.6 in magnitude, struck the city of
Padang and obliterated several... more </P></FONT><U><FONT color=#0000ff>
<P>http://www.zedfm.com/UserFiles/Image/News/RESCUE1.jpg</P></U></FONT><B><FONT
face=Arial></B>
<P>Red Deer men home from rescue mission (Oct 7) - it has been quite a week for
two members of the Canadian International Rescue Organisation, based in Red
Deer. Team leader Marcel Schur and technical search specialist Adam Beverly left
one week ago (Thurs.) for Padang, Indonesia to help U.N. crews search for live
victims of two earthquakes. Both men had to put up their own money to go. Schur
says they searched collapsed buildings in the city for survivors, but he says
unfortunately none were found alive. Beverley and Schur arrived back in Red Deer
Tuesday night.</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P>
<P><STRONG>SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS </STRONG>Our regular publication date for
mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of each month. Please note that the
deadline for material is the 14<SUP>th</SUP> of each month. </P>
<P align=center></P>
<P>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. </P>
<P>Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at </FONT><A
href=""><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>choare@shaw.ca</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> PLEASE DO
include contact information for members to gain further information.</P>
<P> </P>
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