SARA Happenings September 2001
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 160 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-ctl@castrov.cuug.ab.ca. Here are some of the happenings in SAR in Alberta and around the country: Change to SARA Happenings Mailing List Software There has been a software and address change to our mailing list, so if you are passing on the subscription information to other SAR groups, please ensure you're using the new address. sara-happenings-ctl@castrov.cuug.ab.ca SARSCENE 2001 is being held in Whitehorse, Yukon from September 12-15, 2001. Pre-workshop sessions are offered prior to the workshop. Anyone interested in attending these sessions, should contact the instructors directly to register. (Ed. Note: I couldn't find a site to refer readers to, so am passing on the mailing I received MOL intact.) ERI: Search Management for the Initial Response Incident Commander (12 hours: Sept 10, 8:30 a.m. --5:30 p.m and Sept 11, 8:30 a.m. to noon). Urban Search Management (4 hours; Sept 11, 1:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m.) Prerequisite: Search Management for the Initial Response Incident Commander. Price: $125.00 for both courses. Search Management: $110.00 Urban Search Management: $50.00 Cheques, credit cards and purchase orders accepted To register: Contact ERI Canada at (403) 721-2121 Fax (403) 721-2120 E-mail info@ericanada.com For a full description of the courses, please go to http://www.nss.gc.ca Wayne Merry: Tracking (Monday Sept 10 and Tues Sept 11 times and meeting site tba) A hands-on outdoor course which will give students instruction in evidence/sign detection over a two-day session. An indoor one-hour briefing will be held each day prior to heading outside. Fee for both days is $50.00-$65.00. For more information and to register, please contact Wayne Merry at wmerry@atlin.net or by phone at (250) 651-7502. International SAR Dog Clinic: Sunday Sept 9, 5:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. Monday Sept 10, 7:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept 11, 7:30 a.m. 7:00 p.m. The clinic will be geared to both the novice and experienced handler, offering concept, theory, motivational techniques, problem solving methodologies and lots of hands-on dog work. For complete list of classes, fees and other information please visit http://www.wdsar.yk.ca/sarscene2001/forms/SS2001.pdf or contact Kirstie Simpson, at (867) 633-2199 Night Search Techniques Monday Sept 10 and Tuesday Sept 11, 7:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. (possibly later) Instructor Ken Snider and colleagues from SARBC will give outdoor sessions demonstrating techniques for night searches. For payment and course information, please contact SARBC at (250) 384-6696 or mailto: sarbc@sarbc.org Low Angle Rescue, Alan Thomas Monday Sept 10 and Tuesday Sept 11. Fee is $60.00 and more information is available from Debbie Brewster, WDSAR. paradisealley1998@yahoo.com or phone (867) 633-6000, fax, (867) 633-6001. Since almost all SAR groups use GPS these days, a note on PRN22's misadventure in July might suggest a bit of cautionary advice. The US Air Force is not necessarily going to shout when something goes wrong with the system, as anyone in a military or similar bureaucracy will attest. The GPS system is very reliable, but Murphy's Law says . . . The first hint to most users was a query from an engineer with Icelandic Civil Aviation on CANSPACE, asking whether anyone knew what had caused some aircraft crossing the Atlantic to experience GPS outages on 28th July. The replies from tech users soon indicated that satellite PRN22 had experienced a clock failure - actually an uncontrolled timing slip. Since the GPS system works by accurate time offsets, this did two things. First it made it difficult for receivers to lock on to PRN22, which was a good thing - secondly it introduced a huge error into the navigation solution of receivers which were tracking PRN22. Like hundreds of kilometres! It took the USAF Master Control well over an hour to determine something was wrong with PRN22 and SatZap it - set it to unhealthy, so that receivers would cease using it. This then pointed up the fact that some brands of receiver don't respond to the satellite messages going from healthy to unhealthy - at least, not for a while. As far as I know the USAF has not taken part in any of the civilian investigations into these difficulties, and CANSPACE, run by Prof. Langley at the University of New Brunswick, has been the chief source of information to the user public. For SAR users - take note of the declaration your receivers make on start up - keep another source of navigational aid going with the GPS. A big error, of hundreds of kilometres, is an easy lie to spot, but if it is a kilometre or so it could be overlooked until something bad happens. Ed note: Since I subscribe to CANSPACE, I'll undertake to keep readers informed of GPS happenings that I think will be relevant to the SARA Happenings members. If there's some technical question from any group that might be answered by a query to the experts there, send a note to me at gpsurvey@telusplanet.net and I'll post it. Fred McFall, the Training Committee Chairman, has undertaken to compile a list of all Provincially funded courses, available instructors for courses, opportunities to get cut rates on courses and such good things for the SAR website. He does need help from the training coordinators of the member groups to get their input, but so far has had responses from very few of the groups. Would all groups get in direct communication with Fred to make his task move a bit faster - he can let you know directly what he needs. You can contact him either through ve6frm@rac.ca or fredm@monarch.net Does your group have an event posting for the SARA 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: Chris Hoare Ph. 403-628-3802 gpsurvey@telusplanet.net
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