SARA Happenings of July 1, 1999
Hi,
This is a regular mailing intended to improve communication within the
Search and Rescue community in Alberta. It's going out to over 90 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 contact Brett Wuth .
Here are some of the happenings in SAR in Alberta:
Magnetic Vehicle Signs:
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In our first SARA Happenings, Bob Costa of Pincher Creek SAR asked other
groups to contact him which are interested in purchasing detachable reflective
magnetic signs for placing on the side of vehicles used at a search. They're
detachable so they can be quickly moved to whatever vehicle is sent out
to the search location. The signs are 36" long, 6" tall and say simply
"Search and Rescue". Bob now has pricing. They are $49.85 plus GST per
pair. If he can collect orders totalling 25 pairs, the price will drop
to $29.50, or $24.95 with 50 pairs. Other sign makers have quoted $80
per pair, the difference being that Signs Unlimited of Pincher Creek is
donating the labour involved. Contact Bob at 403 628-2263.
Charity Golf Tournament:
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Edmonton Regional SAR, Parkland SAR, and the RCMP Civilian Search Dog
Association are jointly putting on a charity golf tournament on Saturday,
September 4, 1999, at the Legends Golf Course in Edmonton. Texas Scramble
format with 1:30 p.m. shotgun start, teams of four, 18 holes of golf,
BBQ dinner, prizes, 50/50 draws, beer hole, hole-in-one cash prizes, prize
for every golfer, etc. Cost is $65.00 per person and includes all of the
above. Space is limited. For more information and entry forms, contact
Shannon Dyrland at 440-1710 or Chris Kaulbars at (780) 963-1858 or chris@oanet.com
or Jim Craig at (780) 963-1858 or jcraig@oanet.com.
ERI Courses (Equine, Advanced Tracking, Search Manager):
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Richard Smith has announced the schedule for their upcoming courses:
Mounted SAR, July 10th and 11th, Rocky Mounted House, phone for costing.
Advanced Tracking, August 21st. and 22nd. Nordegg. Cost $75.00 per person,
at the International Hostel, cost for accommodation $14.00 a night per
person.
Search Managers Course, August, time to be announced based on number of
SARA members interested. Held in Nordegg, Cost $125.00 per person. Accommodation
International Hostel $14.00 or camping in the area. Possible dates, week
of the 23rd August.
For further information contact Richard Smith ,
403 721-2121.
Search Manager's Course in November:
-----------------------------------
Larry Moore reports that RCMP "K" Division will be hosting a SAR Managers
course November 22 - 26 in Edmonton. There will be room for an estimated
15 officers and 18 civilians. Prerequisites are SAR Fundamentals and relevant
experience. Civilians should obtain the recommendation of their local
tasking agency (e.g. RCMP detachment) and local SAR group which will pass
those recommendations on to the SARA board. Cost to civilians is estimated
at $250.00 which include meals and accommodation.
Liability Insurance:
-------------------
The Canadian volunteer SAR organization, SARVAC, has negotiated an offer
of liability insurance for local SAR groups. Check out the web site www.algomains.com/sarvac,
or see your SAR Alberta regional representative for an information package
prepared by March & McLennan, Ltd.
Vice-President Resigns:
----------------------
Tony Romano regretfully resigned as vice-president at the June 12 board
meeting. He explained that the increasing workload from his business would
not permit him to fulfill the office and that he should allow another
to take his place.
At the Annual General Meeting in April the membership
made it very clear that they should elect the society's officers, defeating
a motion that would have permitted the board to select the officers. It
was also suggested that the board's desire to find officers with which
they could work well, should be accomplished by having the board recommend
a candidate to the members.
Vacancies, according to the by-laws, are filled
at the next meeting. But no general meetings of the membership are planned
until April 2000. Nor would it be practical to have a general meeting
before that date.
So the board has decided to appoint an "acting"
Vice-President based on a mail-in vote of the members. As always each
member group gets one vote. Candidates should indicate by letter to the
board their intentions to run. Please include a brief description of skills
and priorities.
At the August 14 board meeting the board will recommend
a single candidate to the membership. The recommendation plus the list
of all the candidates and their position will be mailed to each member
group with a ballot. At the October 2 board meeting the new "acting" Vice-President
will be installed.
The representative of any member group may run for
the office. Unless that person is also a Regional Representative, they
will not have a vote on the board.
The position of Vice-President is an important one
in the society. The Vice-President and the president work closely together
to provide leadership. If the president is unavailable for a function,
the Vice-President takes on role until the president is available again
or is replaced. The office of Vice-President is a natural training ground
for role of president. The term of the "acting" Vice-President will end
at the annual general meeting in April 2000.
Please give consideration to running or recommending
another to run for the position. Your help at the provincial board level
can make a significant difference. A detailed letter will be sent to each
member group explaining the situation.
Mail SAR Alberta at Suite 142, 9768 - 170 St, Edmonton, Ab, T5T 5L4.
SARScene 1999 Funds:
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At the annual general meeting in April, some of you will remember our
outgoing treasurer, Larry Moore, reported that the remaining funds from
the SARScene 1999 conference in Banff were sitting idle. Larry reports
that as part of SAR Alberta's agreement with the National SAR Secretariat
the remaining balance of $5473.73 has been transferred to SAR Alberta.
Newsletter Editor:
-----------------
Improved communications is a priority for SAR Alberta. These e-mails are
part of that process. But e-mail only reaches a portion of the SAR Volunteers
in the province. So I'm happy to announce that Rose Saunders of Pincher
Creek SAR (soon to move to Claresholm) as a professional journalist has
accepted the board's appointment as Newsletter Editor. She takes over
from Chris Kaulbars, who we thank for the past quality issues. Rose has
agreed to produce a new issue every two months.
You can contact Rose with your story ideas or suggestions at
or 403 627-5979 until July 14 when the addresses will change to Claresholm.
New contact information to follow.
2000 Conference:
---------------
No individual group came forward with a proposal to run the provincial
conference in April, 2000. Many groups were interested, but felt they
didn't have enough resources to put the conference together by themselves.
So the board has decided to step forward and organize the conference with
SAR Alberta being the sponsor. We will be drawing resources from across
the province. There is the exciting potential to bring in several provincial
themes. A committee has been struck to oversee the organization. The chair
is Rod Dietrich 403 343-6219 who was also chair
of the successful Red Deer conference. The location and exact date will
soon be selected.
Let's Hear from You!
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What's happening in your group? What training exercises do you have coming
up? What would you like help with? Send me a note and I'll pass the word
along. .
Take Care,
--
Brett Wuth wuth@acm.org wuth@telusplanet.net bwuth@cuug.ab.ca Box 1251-U,
Pincher Creek, Alberta T0K 1W0, CANADA Tel:+1 403 627-2460 pgp-public-keys@uit.no
has mine; Print=E4F8EDEECBE01AD2FA3D8B2D94B1A292 What is the meaning of
life?! Yes.
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