This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://blog.northshorerescue.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://blog.northshorerescue.com/feeds/posts/default.

One Year Ago Today

It was one year ago today that we lost fellow NSR Team Member Hannes Mullegger.

I know I speak for all NSR Members when I say that we still think of Hannes and we miss having him by our side on searches, training and events.

Below is a link to the posts from April of last year - http://www.northshorerescue.com/blog/2009_04_01_archive.html

Andrew Koenig's Body Found by Friends in Stanley Park

Here is the CBC.ca article.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/25/bc-body-found-koenig.html

North Shore Rescue Members Search Stanley Park Looking for Andrew Koenig

At the request of the Vancouver Police, on Tuesday, North Shore Rescue conducted a search of the trail systems and dense bush of Stanley Park looking for Andrew Koenig. Approximately 10 members from North Shore Rescue, were joined by members on loan from Lions Bay and Coquitlam Search and Rescue for the large search.

Unfortunetly by the time darkness fell, the search did not result in finding Mr. Koenig. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Andrew Koenig, you are asked to call the Vancouver Police Department.


Vancouver Sun -Police, rescuers scour park for missing actor - Search for Andrew Koenig taken to woods and beaches of Stanley Park, where he liked to stroll
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Police+rescuers+scour+park+missing+actor/2606306/story.html

Indian Arm Provincial Park Plan Signing

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation and BC Parks are pleased to announce the signing of the Say Nuth Khaw Yum ( Indian Arm) Provincial Park Plan. North Shore Rescue Team Leader Tim Jones was invited to this very important and emotional ceremony Feb 17th at the Aboriginal Pavillion at Georgia and Hamiliton Street in Vancouver.

NSR has been working very closely with TW Nations leaders on a number of key emergency planning issues regarding the Indian Arm and NSR is very proud to have been part of a great day for the TW Nation, all those who work with them and all those who enjoy the prisitine environment of the Indian Arm.

Swiss Avi Accident

On January 3rd, in Switzerland, 7 people were killed in 3 avalanches, many of them rescuers responding to the first avalanche.

Below are the links to the IKAR website incident report.

Full article

Report in PDF

HFRS Recert with Blackcomb Helicopters

NSR HFRS members participated in a "recert" with Blackcomb Helicopters in preparation for the Olympics. This satisfies the legal requirement with Transport Canada that NSR personnel must train annually with all their helicopter charter providers. It also gave members a chance to familiarize themselves with the pilots and with the aircraft that we will be utilizing during the Olympic Games period. Talon Helicopters was and will continue to be our primary helicopter provider before and after the Olympics. Blackcomb Helicopters won a PEP contract to provide a standby rescue helicopter during the games, and as part of that contract, the government has provided NSR/SAR with number of flight hours to be used for training, familiarization and orientation to the North Shore terrain.

Included in this exercise where: NSR HFRS technicians, NSR HFRS aware members, CARDA handlers and their dogs. The recert included the following components:

• Operational briefing
• Introductions (pilots and aircrew)
• Dryland rigging of helicopter
• 150 foot longline insertions to mountain gulley (in tandem and with CARDA dogs)
• 200 foot longline insertions to mountain gulley (in tandem)
• 200 foot rescue basket extraction from river bank
• Debrief, cleanup and paperwork

Overall a good experience for all members that were involved. Having regular exercises such as these keep all our skills honed and at the ready to render aid to the public.

For pictures of this training exercise check out our Flickr Page or Facebook Page.

Code Alpha Table Top Exercise

North Shore Rescue personnel were joined by representatives from various agencies (see below) last night for a table top exercise regarding avalanche response on the North Shore mountains.

• BC Parks
• Grouse Mountain
• Cypress Mountain
• RCMP/ISU
• CARDA
• BC Coroners Service
• Canadian Avalanche Center
• Coquitlam SAR
• Lions Bay SAR
• Surrey SAR
• Metro Vancouver Parks

Participants were assigned to various scenario groups covering each of the 3 local resort areas and asked to prepare an action plan covering the response to these scenarios. With a lot of cooperation and shared knowledge groups worked together to come up with a realistic response to each of these scenarios. Developing and maintaining a close working relationships with all stakeholders is an important part of emergency response and as such this exercise was a tremendous success.

For background information; Code Alpha refers to an avalanche preplan developed by NSR which sets out the response guidelines/resources/procedures/etc. for a situation where a civilian or a member is caught in an avalanche. This preplan allows for a response to a hectic and complicated situation fraught with emotion and confusion, in a thourough and systematic approach. Ultimately the goal is to protect the safety of the rescuers, while saving as many lives as possible.

2010 HFRS Training Exercise

North Shore Rescue HFRS technicians were joined by their fellow members as well as members from the Canadian Forces, RCMP/ISU, WVPD, Coquitlam SAR, Lions Bay SAR and the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) in a training exercise Sunday. HFRS techs honed their skills inserting and extracting personnel into steep terrain, requiring transfering members from the long-line to a anchored tether on the ground. This operation was run out of the Capilano Watershed and the insertion/extraction point was on the front side of Grouse Mountain near the BCMC.

This training exercise involved two machines from Talon Helicopters. The AS350 B2 (C-FTHY) flown by Derek Riendeau and the AS355 flown by owner Peter Murray. Helicopters flew members into and out of the site in an alternating pattern, communicating tactically via a simplex frequency to coordinate the movement of personnel. The key idea behind this exercise involved the need to be able to put many members on the ground quickly were light or weather could be a limiting factor on the rescue outcome. By having the ability to put a lot of manpower on the ground quickly, NSR can respond to calls more safely and increase the liklihood of a positive outcome.

Members also practiced extractions from terrain utilizing a rescue basket, suspended from the long line. This device is primarily designed for river/water rescue, however, it's application for mountain rescue is indispensible. If faced with a dangerous terrain or limited time, a stranded climber could be directed into the basket and flown a short distance to safety.

Check out more pictures of this exercise on the NSR Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/northshorerescue

New technology lets NSR members search for avalanche burial victims from the air

NSR members have received the Barryvox VS 2000 Pro External helicopter based avalance transceiver for use in SAR operations. This unit is suspended below the helicopter and allows the technician to locate a burial victim (who is wearing a transceiver) without ever setting foot on the ground. This technology makes our lives safer in hazardous avi terrain, allows for quicker pin pointing, and reduces overall risk.

Recently members trained with this unit in the Seymour river valley along with pilots from Talon Helicopters and their new AS355 TwinStar Helicopter.



More information can be obtained on this unit at the following links:
http://www.girsberger-elektronik.ch/media/documents/HEA_ADE.pdf

http://www.datasheetarchive.com/datasheet-pdf/012/DSA00204901.html

http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/Comparison.asp

NS News Safety Tips

A great article by James Weldon from the NS News. 10 important safety tips everyone should read.

http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/sundayfocus/story.html?id=94b4aa0d-0f8a-4994-8bbd-f37a50acddcb&p=1

Snowshoer Killed in Tragic Accident Behind Grouse Mountain

NSR members responded to call for help from 2 stranded snowshoers who's friend had fallen. On arrival the 2 stranded snowshoers were rescued via helicopter, while the fallen snowshoer was attended to by NSR medical personnel. Sadly the fallen snowshoer succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

This incident prompts warning about snowshoing in icy conditions. Make sure you have proper gear for the conditions. If it's icy, this gear should include crampons, ice axe, helmets and ropes. Snowshoe cleats (crampons) are not sufficient in icy conditions, they are not aggressive enough and if you fall your chances of self arresting are greatly reduced. Please read below articles for more information on the incident.

North Shore News - Hiker Dies in Snowshoe Mishap
http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=cf691862-0525-4e93-b318-cee84613274e

North Shore Outlook - Icy Danger Zone
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/northshoreoutlook/news/78893507.html?period=W&mpStartDate=12-02-2009&

The Vancouver Sun - British long distance runner killed snowshoeing on Vancouver mountain
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Snowshoer+death+prompts+warning+from+North+Shore+Rescue/2310133/story.html

The Province - Snowshoes 'just become a surfboard' on icy North Shore terrain
http://www.theprovince.com/travel/Snowshoes+just+become+surfboard+North+Shore+terrain/2316344/story.html

Rememberance Day

Today, North Shore Rescue members attended the Rememberance Day ceremony at the North Vancouver cenataph. NSR members, Tim Jones, Bridget Milsom and Peter Haigh, laid a wreath at the cenataph. Today we brought NS 1 ("The looking glass"), NS 4 ("The Batt Mobile") and NS 6 ("knuckles"). NS 6 participated in the parade to the legion on 15th and Lonsdale, after which all members returned to the Embassy to clean up and make sure the equipment was ready to go in case of a call.

Every year we also set up a small scale triage center for people who may feel faint, sick or overwhelmed by the ceremony. This year we dealt with upwards 15 members of the public and air/sea/army cadets who needed minor medical attention during the ceremony.

Helicopter Flight Rescue System Exercise 2009

North Shore Rescue members, HFRS technicians, and kayak response team members gathered along with BC Parks rangers on Sunday for our annual recurrency, HFRS awareness and lead-up to a large scale January excercise on Grouse Mountain. The day consisted of a briefing in the morning, followed by in and out rescue evolutions utlizing "screamer suits" for rapid deployment. In the afternoon, members practiced with the river rescue basket by doing short-haul and in-out trips.

Although the weather was far from cooperative, conditions did permit for the large majority of the training/recurrency/lead-up to go ahead.

Overall a busy weekend for rescue volunteers; with hover entry/exit training on Saturday, and Helicopter Flight Rescue System training on Sunday. This level of dedication keeps us ready to respond to a call, and allows us to best serve the public interest. Although these training sessions are of a significant cost to the NSR society, the safety and performance results are without a price tag.

One of the key features of this exercise is the demonstrable need for a non-military rescue helicopter to be made available during the Olympics for "outside the fence" calls. NSR has a strong relationship with Talon Helicopters, who have both the right aircraft (small, powerful aircraft capable of safely entering tight terrain) and the expertise (flying ability, terrain knowledge, and invaluable familiarity with local SAR teams) to perform safe, efficient and life-saving operations that may otherwise be unavailable during the 2010 winter games. It is hoped that the provincial government will provide a standby civilian helicopter for local SAR teams during the event.

Hover Entry/Exit Recert

Today NSR members participated in the annual recurrency training for helicopter hover entry and exit. This involves a dry land session, where members practice their skills under the supervision of rescue pilots and senior instructors. Followed by live excercises out on the Tarmac. Today's exercises covered such skills as:

• Hover Entry/Exit (entering and leaving a helicopter while still off the ground)
• Hover patient loading (on stretcher and semi-ambulatory)
  
• Heli-Ops and Crew person awareness
• Sling Loads
• LZ preparation and a control

These skills are extremely important, as helicopters are a tool that are regularly employed in SAR operations. Having members trained to a high level helps ensure a safe and succesful mission.

On today's particular exercise we were interupted by the arrival of the Prince of Whales (Charles) being dropped off in a Canadian Forces Airbus. Recertification activities were temporarily stood down to allow the welcoming ceremony to take place. You can see pictures of the event by checking out our flickr page or facebook fan page.

North Vancouver RCMP looking for owner of mountain bike

Hey Everyone,

So there has been a mountain bike locked up at the base of grouse for a couple days. We would really like to find out who this bike belongs to and hopefully check off that there is no one missing. Please read the North Vancouver RCMP press release below. If you know of this bike, call the number; if you know someone who might know, forward this on to them.

Thanks from NSR!

Relevant Links:

North Vancouver RCMP Press Release
NSR Flickr Page
NSR Facebook Page
NSR Twitter Page (for updates)

---

North Vancouver RCMP are seeking the public's assistance to identify the owner of a red and black Specialized CrossTrail bike that has been locked to a bike rack at the base of Grouse Mountain for several days. Grouse Mountain staff are concerned that it may belong to a hiker who has not returned and has not been reported as missing.

If you own this bike or know the owner please contact the North Vancouver RCMP at 604 985-1311 and cite file number 2009-31532.

7 People Rescued on Grind - Bring a Flashlight

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - With the return of standard time on Sunday, it gets dark an hour earlier, and several people were caught off-guard on the Grouse Grind yesterday.

More...

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20091102_121616_12280


Please remember to bring a flashlight when hiking at any time.

Hiker Rescued From Grouse

Australian Frederick Hayes was moderately hypothermic when North Shore Rescue volunteers found him huddled under a log.
Full story -

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/67367397.html

North Shore News Employee Rescued

North Shore News Story on Lynn Valley rescue.

Search for Missing Trail Runner Sunday Night

News 1130 article on search last night -

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20091019_012644_7816

North Shore News Articles on Recent Rescues

James Weldon of the North Shore News has written a number of articles which accurately describe the recent rescues.



All-night efforts locate lost hiker – Hanes Valley – Published Sept 30
http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=0aae43e4-d8f2-4983-bde2-de52a8c8443b

Fall kills missing North Van hiker – Published Sept 23
http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=8d2371a6-8436-4258-b4d2-04f0b5c2430f

Lost hiker caught by early nightfall – Published Sept 23
http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=b2a61a48-ce00-4bdd-907a-ec9bb05f557d

New Trail Signage Should Reduce Rescue Incidents – Published Oct 07
http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=00243f45-ca81-4103-b8eb-3ff0d4630edb

Sound Use During Searches

NSR member, Bob Manson, has researched, and written a very interesting paper on the use of sound during searches to locate subjects.

As any searcher knows - sound is one of the most important ways to locate someone. However, environmental factors and type of sound dramatically affect how well we can hear and where the sound appears to be coming from.

A must read for any searcher.

The paper can be found here (PDF) - http://www.jibc.ca/emergency/Other_Resources/Publications/Miscellaneous_EMD_Publications/Sound_Search_Study.pdf

North Shore News Article on Sunday Rescue

North Shore News has written a more complete story on the rescue on Sunday -

http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=0aae43e4-d8f2-4983-bde2-de52a8c8443b

HFRS Repack

NSR HFRS Repack and Annual Inspection (completed last week)

The mundane and very important part of our HFRS program. All three NSR HFRS Kits completely dismantled , serviced and checked.

There were a number of rescues this weekend, updates coming soon.

New NSR SFU Repeater is Online

Team Leader Tim Jones shakes hands with radio technician and owner of Chroma Communications, Dirk deJagger, on job well done.

Dirk was contracted by NSR to install the new repeater at the new student residence at SFU which will now give NSR a permanent home for this vital repeater.



Big thanks to Peter Anderson from the SFU Communications Dept who championed getting NSR getting a temporary repeater into his lab first off and then paving the way for the move to its permanent home.

As secondary note, Dirk is a former long time member of NSR and along with Jones he is also a Life Member.

Aug 29 Grouse Rescue

NSR HFRS Team At it Again- Grouse Mtn Aug 29

NSR's HFRS Team has had it 5th deployment for August. On Saturday Aug 29, the HFRS

Coordinator in Training Mike Danks handled this task as part of his program to become a HFRS Coordinator. The call was for a stranded hiker from Toronto on Grouse Mtn. or should we say a very nice young man who was dressed for a stroll on Toronto's Bay Street. Completely unprepared,lost and exhausted and trapped in a gully system.

NSR is using new tactics now where we are doing multi- person tandem evacs. On this call two HFRS rescuers and the subject came out at the same time. These specific tactics are being used as training and preplan tactiics for tasks which involve a high number of people needing evacs when light, fuel, weather become factors and the number of evolutions needs to be minimized.

As per usual, fantastic support from Metro Vancouver Watershed Security and Grouse Resorts

Coquitlam Search for Male Hiker

As part of a multi regional SAR team assist to Coquitlam SAR, North Shore Rescue's Helicopter Flight Rescue Team and Talon Helicopters responded to Coquitlam's Burke Mountain to long line out a 58 year hiker from a deep canyon after he spent two days lost in this area.

NSR HFRS Coordinator Tim Jones utilized members from both NSR and Coq SAR who are attached to the NSR HFRS Team as part of an integrated strategy using this important SAR tool.

NSR has had a very busy month with this being the fourth HFRS call for August.

Cowichan Lake Rescue - More Details

August 2009 Cowichan Lake- NSR HFRS Mutual Aid for Injured Hiker


NSR's HFRS team was tasked to assist Cowichan Valley SAR to evacuate an injured male hiker above the west end of Cowichan Lake. The subject had been in a hiking party that had climbed up a steep clear cut area above the lake late afternoon August 15.

The subject fell 40 feet hitting his head on a tree and fracturing his arm. CVSAR arrived on scene at 2300 on Aug 15 and very efficiently assessed and stabilized the subject . NSR was called at 0230 by PEPECC to have an HFRS team/Talon Helicopters to respond at 0700. Great interaction between NSR and CVSAR in preplanning and logistics leading up to call.Call seamless.

Excellent assistance by CVSAR, RCMP and BCAS personnel at staging area. The subject , two friends and two CVSAR members were all long lined out due to tiredness and the 30 to 50 degree terrain with down falls and loose rock. Special thanks to the kayaker who brought me and Talon owner/pilot Peter Murray a steaming hot coffee!!!!!

A very enjoyable call ! CVSAR did a fantastic job!!!

Tim Jones
NSR HFRS Coordinator
NSR Team Leader

Funding Worries and Rescues

The fate of our gaming commission grant is currently unknown -

North Shore News article -

http://www2.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=ce2e8f22-d050-4585-a154-f56a574f4f13

NSR relies heavily on this grant to operate.

Rescue Last Night

Last night we had a rescue just off of the Baden Powell trail for two lost hikers. They were uninjured and the rescue was a quick one.

The Grind was particularly busy last night as well. Everyone please remember its getting dark earlier and earlier now. And BRING A FLASHLIGHT, not having a flashlight is the number one reason for these types of rescues. We had many people on the Grind last night who were caught in darkness and had to be assisted by our Grind Sweep. If you start the Grind in the afternoon or evening - you need to bring a flashlight. No one ever plans to be stuck in the dark, but it happens regularly.

Rescues the Past Weekend

There were two rescues last weekend, one near Mosquito Creek and another HFRS call to assist Cowichan Lake Area Search and Rescue on Vancouver Island. Pics below are from the Cowichan Lake call.

CTV News Update

Update from CTV News regarding August 5th Lions Rescue -

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090807/BC_emotional_rescue_hiker_090807/20090807/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome