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SARA Happenings of May 12, 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 50 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:

Track Aware Course in Hinton:
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Hinton SAR is holding a Track Aware course June 12-13. Anyone interested should contact Paul Grimley .


Web Site:
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SAR Alberta's web site is www.saralberta.org. There you will find most of the structural information on SAR Alberta, contact details for the member groups, and copies of the newsletter, etc. Contact Phil Paradis if you have information on the web site that should be updated. The companion web site www.sarbase.org is having temporary difficulties. We'll announce when it is available again.

Using Tach 9:

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There is no province-wide agreement on the usage of the RCMP Tach 9 frequency for SAR. Instead, there are agreements with individual SAR groups. To set one up, Ric Henderson of K Division suggests your group contact him at 780 412-5564 for details of the process. Roughly, the procedure is to talk to your local detachment to get in contact with the Regional Informatics NCO. A proposed agreement (for which there are templates) is drafted, and then sent to K Division for approval.

Regional Representatives:
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SAR Alberta is divided into 9 regions. The SAR groups in each region get together periodically, at a time of their choosing to elect a regional representative and a deputy. The regional representatives are the only board members that can vote. They decide policy issues for SAR Alberta, unless directed differently by the members at a General Meeting (held once a year).
If you have a concern, make sure your regional representative knows about it. Their job is to represent the groups in their region.
Here are the current regional representatives. Additional contact information such as phone and fax is available on www.saralberta.org.

Name Region E-Mail
Monty Lynes Peace River Region Representative lynesm@lab.gov.ab.ca
Noel Hill Peace River Region Deputy Representative nhill@niskusafety.com
Bob Gazzard Ft. McMurray Region Representative bob@altech.ab.ca
Irv Heide Ft. McMurray Region Deputy Representative heide@ccinet.ab.ca
Calvin Freigang Morinville Region Representative bdumond@millarwestern.com
Vacant Morinville Region Deputy Representative
John Vardy St. Paul Region Representative No e-mail
Doug Millar St. Paul Region Deputy Representative dmillar@sas.ab.ca
Mike Rees Edson Region Representative reesmh@oanet.com
Spencer Manweiler Edson Region Deputy Representative No e-mail
Mary-Ann Warren Edmonton Region Representative Oopstikm@netcom.ca
Grant Crowson Edmonton Region Deputy Representative grant.crowson@telus.com
Brad Marshall Red Deer Region Representative bmarshall@canada.com
Rodney Dietrich Red Deer Region Deputy Representative accountinggod@home.com
Tony Romano Calgary Region Representative aeagle@home.com
Frank Henderson Calgary Region Deputy Representative henderson@cadvision.com
Chris Jorgensen Lethbridge Region Representative cjorg@telusplanet.net
vacant Lethbridge Region Deputy Representative


Mock Search in Ft. McMurray:
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Ft. McMurray SAR is having a mock search this weekend. They've set it up in the same area as an old outstanding file. Contact Bob Gazzard .

RCMP and Dive Rescue:
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The national legal department of the RCMP has given direction that the RCMP cannot use volunteer dive rescue resources. Apparently there is federal legislation that causes volunteers of this particular discipline to be interpreted as employees. If the RCMP were to use these volunteers they would be liable for any problems that might arise. Even trained RCMP officers cannot dive. The RCMP now must use commercial divers. Contact Ric Henderson for details.
Some volunteer SAR groups are considering forming a commercial entity. It's not clear whether the other tasking agencies will adopt the same policy.

Calgary Region Mock Search:
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The groups of the Calgary Region are having a large mock search this weekend. Involved are: Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Calgary SAR, CARES, Foothills SAR, Reach and Treat, the RCMP and STARS. The scenario runs from Friday to Sunday and involves several operational periods. For info contact Tim Kelly .

United Way funds Ft. McMurray SAR:

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Ft. McMurray SAR has just received approval for funding from the United Way. They are not yet sure how much money they will be receiving. If you're interested in what was involved in setting this up, contact Bob Gazzard .

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

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