Coquitlam Search and Rescue is preparing for one of its biggest missions yet: the SARxSW (SAR by southwest) conference volunteers are organizing for Sept. 27 and 28.
The conference will draw more than 120 search and rescue personnel from throughout the region for a chance to learn best practices, test their skills in a large-scale demonstration and check out the latest in gear and equipment.
And even though the Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron from Comox will be skydiving over Pitt Lake and SAR teams will be scrambling in and out of the Royal Canadian Marine SAR boats up and down Indian Arm, one of the biggest draws of the event will be the Squamish SAR team.
"The real original inspiration for the event was the Squamish SAR, who did an absolutely incredible rescue this past winter," said Michael Coyle, Coquitlam SAR's spokesperson and the conference organizer.
The rescue of 24-year-old Calgary resident Christine Newman made international headlines after she survived being trapped in a tree well for seven hours in Garibaldi Park. She was suffering from extreme hypothermia and the Squamish SAR team knew she needed a particular kind of help, which they happened to have in the form of SAR member Dr. Doug Brown. An emergency room physician at Royal Columbian Hospital, Brown is also an expert on treating hypothermia after learning about an effective technique being used in Switzerland.
With no air ambulance available at the time, Brown convinced the team to use the SAR helicopter to get Newman to Vancouver General Hospital, where she quickly recovered.
"All the factors lined up... and I thought all the SAR teams can learn from how these individual things came together," Coyle said. "Sometimes, we have the opportunity to share best practices but not as often as we'd like."
Coyle arranged the schedule of sessions on Sept. 27 so all participants could attend the talk by the Squamish team, whose members will discuss the initial response, incident management and the unique medical treatment.
The Sept. 28 line-up will simulate a large-scale rescue and will serve as training for the times when multiple teams are called in to search a vast area.
"Those represent a larger problem, with interesting challenges for logistics and communications," Coyle said, recalling the massive search in 2010 for missing hiker Tyler Wright.
Incident command will run out of Coquitlam SAR's base at Coquitlam's Town Centre fire hall, where volunteers will use mapping and tracking technology to track remote teams.
Vessels carrying SAR members and equipment will head to the north end of Pitt Lake while the 442 Squadron out of Comox will drop skydivers - dubbed "cheesies" because of their bright orange suits and parachutes - near the south end.
The Royal Canadian Marine SAR, which handles all rescues on the water, will be running a cross-training event with ground SAR teams on Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm while the Surrey SAR works an unmanned aerial vehicle scenario at Coquitlam's Eagle Mountain Park.
Burke Mountain's Goat Trail, off Quarry Road, will be the site of a rope rescue workshop.
Tying it all together will be the Coquitlam Amateur Radio Emergency Service Society as it establishes a wide-area communications network from the remote reaches of the Pitt River to the north end of Indian Arm.
For more information visit www.coquitlam-sar.bc.ca.
