SARA Happenings, August 16, 2000
Table of Contents
Hi, This is a regular mailing intended to improve communication within the Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It's going out to over 130 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. If you want to be added or removed from the list, please send mail to sara-happenings-request@castrov.cuug.ab.ca. Here are some of the happenings in SAR in Alberta: New SARA Happenings EditorOur thanks go to the past editor, Mary-Ann Warren, for all her contributions. Mary-Ann has had to withdraw as the SARA Happenings editor due to other commitments. Your new editor for SARA Happenings is Kristine Borrowes (the SAR Alberta Secretary) Contact (403) 235-8163 kristineb@con-force.com. SARA Happenings 2nd EditionI try to provided the technical support. Some of you may have received two copies of this issue. My apology. This edition has a few differences: It's going out to the entire mailing list. The formatting has changed. A few late items have been added. And, alas, a delightful and I'm sure soon to be collector's item photo of yours truly on a rope rescue course has been dropped to keep the mail message compatible with the simplest of everyone's mail readers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-) -- Brett Wuth wuth@acm.org Web PagesIf your group has a web page or knows of one that would be of interest to other groups, contact the SAR AB web master to have it posted with the SAR AB web page links list. webmaster@saralberta.org. FundraisersEdmonton Regional SAR and the RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association held their 2nd annual golf tourney at Victoria Golf and Country Club on June 17th. The day was a great "funraiser," for both organizations. We had 60 golfers this year and 90 other individuals, sponsors, donors and volunteers that helped make the day a great success. As fundraisers go, this one is good if you have a couple organizations working together, as it is a lot of work. The networking and public exposure with police agencies, sponsors and Edmonton area businesses was extremely valuable for SAR in this area. Not to mention we "have a ball." Shannon Dyrland ERSARA sdyrland@hotmail.com, TrackAware and Tracker 1 Mantracking Course At Grande Prairie, Alberta Date: September 2-3-4, 2000 Location: Wapiti Nordic Ski Lodge (approx. 5 Km south of GP on Highway 40) Meals: $65.00 Cdn payable to Technical Search and Rescue Prerequisite: A tracking course especially for Novice and TrackAware Students and open to all interested persons. Previous tracking training or experience not limited or required. This will be an UTS Track Aware certification course for all eligible students. Course Content: This will be a 24-hour course beginning Saturday Sept. 2nd at 8:00am with registration and lecture including slide and video to provide basic tracking understanding. The presentation supports field training by providing student understanding of UTS training methods, manner and objectives. "Tracking" is a first response primary search resource used to verify witness statements, establish the "PLS", direction of victim travel and following the physical evidence to the missing person. Field training will allow "student tracking team" experimentation and "hands-on" practice of fundamental tracking techniques. Student will progress from initially identifying a print, to the "step-by-step" concept of following an identified sign line and practical tracking team response. This is a "skill development" training program. Students will learn what tracking actually is, how this practical use skill may be developed and that individually they can learn to "see" physical "sign" that others look at and do not see. Students with previous tracking training will be individually challenged with more advanced tracking training concepts. Tracker 1 students will be provided advanced training objectives separately. Student Needs: Students should be physically fit and equipped for SAR field response. Field practice will continue during inclement weather so students should be properly prepared with wet and cold weather gear. Student need to bring a pencil/pen, note pad, small measuring tape, 5/8" doweling or similar, 36" to 40" long, with three rubber bands to use as a tracking stick, and a three cell flashlight. Depending on availability, UTS will have textbooks ($10), flashlights ($10), measuring tapes ($3) and footprint pins ($15) for sale to students. Registration: Students must pre-register for this course by sending registration information and $35.00 (US) check to Jerry Darkis at 6770 W. Pole Lane, Lynden, WA 98264 or email at Jdarkis@lucy.az.com or phone at (360) 312-8739. Students failing to pre-register will pay an additional $15 (US) at the door. Sponsor Information: Technical Search and Rescue of Grande Prairie are sponsoring this course. For more information on the course or logistics, contact Gordon Ellis at (780) 532-3274 or email grellis@telusplanet.net. Training at Parkland SARDuring the next three months, Parkland SAR will be conducting training as follows: Unless detailed, you must call for time and location (968-8857). ($) means there is a cost associated with the training. You can and should call to confirm the training before traveling to site. Man Tracking Exercise Track Awareness First Aid Exercise Urban Searching Mock Search GPS/Orienteering Team Leader Course ($) Survival First Aid Exercise We have a new Crosstrax editor! Ken Tryon has taken on the role of Newsletter Editor and he asks that all submissions be directed to him by electronic means, either by email or diskette. Please send your submissions to Ken Tryon Our thanks go to our past Newsletter Editor, Rose Saunders. Rose stepped down when she needed to take on much larger work commitments. Ken has agreed to act as Newsletter Editor until a new volunteer can be found. If you are interested in helping out SAR Alberta and easing the load on one very busy Disaster Services worker, please contact Brett Wuth wuth@acm.org. Call for VolunteersAre you willing to help out the SAR effort on a provincial basis? Why not become a member of one of SAR Alberta committees? SAR Alberta's committees conduct most of their business via e-mail and telephone. Some committees meet face to face a few times a year. Committee members work on various tasks through out the year. Here are some committees that are looking for members: Search and Rescue Day Committee -- May 5, 2001 will be the second annual Search and Rescue Day in Alberta. A day designed to raise the profile of the Search and Rescue effort of the local groups. Members of the committee will encourage local groups to participate, plan provincial activities, work with government, and prepare a media strategy. SAR Statistics Collection -- In order to work with government and private and public funding agencies it is essential that SAR Alberta be able to quantify the effort put in by the SAR community. Every year SAR Alberta collects statistics from each Member Group. Your role is to design forms, collect the results, work with the groups that have difficulty providing statistics, create a strategy to fill in the gaps, process the numbers, and create a clear understanding of just how much we all are doing. By-Law Committee -- The Society's by-laws are an essential tool for balancing the many different interests with in the Society. Well written by-laws provide the structure that makes it possible to work through difficult issues. The By-Law Committee identifies problems and solutions in the by-laws, drafts revisions, encourages discussion among the members, explains, and passes through Alberta Registries the changes approved by the membership. If you're interested in helping out on one of these committees (or have some other project in mind), please contact Brett Wuth wuth@acm.org. Standards and Training CommitteeUpdate from the Standards and Training Committee: Larry Moore RCMP is again using his time and energy to set up another SAR Fundamentals Instructors course. This course will take place in Oct. at Nordegg and the applicant will pay for the course. This committee is attempting to renew old training records and maintain new ones. As part of this process, we are attempting to filter all volunteer member names thru this committee so we can maintain our provincial records and stats. The course will be based on regional needs as well as the qualifications of the applicant. I will post the course details and requirements, or forward them to you upon request. Note: The Standards committee is still in the process of collecting info from you if you are an instructor in any SAR related activity. We hope to publish a list of all persons that are or can teach in Alberta, anything from map stuff, to first aid and rope work. That way groups that have need and not a local instructor can make contact more easily. The deadline for this info will be Oct 30th. If you are interested in the above course please contact Paul Olmstead at: polmstead@compusmart.ab.ca. Pine Lake ExpensesThe Pine Lake Tornado Disaster brought in teams from all over Alberta. Brad Marshall bmarshall@canada.com has been in contact with the County of Red Deer Fire Service. This is the procedure for expense reimbursement for the Pine Lake Tornado: - There is no form so please send invoices with copies of all appropriate
documentation (the more the better) All submissions are to be directed to the following person: Connie Kitagawa Regarding what is acceptable for expense reimbursement, Brad recommends being reasonable but not absorbing real costs. Realistic costs incurred from the time a team left home till they returned should be considered. Submission items with receipts probably stand a better chance of being reimbursed. If a team does not have receipts, try submitting without receipts at the Provincial Government Subsistence and Travel Rates. These rates may not correspond with the County, but it is Disaster Service who eventually is paying: Vehicle- Meals- Accommodations - Just for fun! This picture was taken at a High Angle Rescue Course in BC. They spent 3 days climbing and learning. This event took place on the SAR Awareness weekend. Doesn't Brett look like he was born to climb? [Due to technical needs of the mailing list photos aren't supported. But if you really want to see this picture, it was mailed in the first edition directly to each member group of SAR Alberta. I'm sure you can find it. Sigh. :-) -- Brett Wuth] SARA Happenings SubmissionsDoes your group have a posting for the SAR AB Happenings mailing? If so, to see that it is sent out on time send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates wished advertised. It will then give ample notice to those reading it to respond. Contact: Kristine Borrowes-Editor (403) 235-8163 kristineb@con-force.com
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