Submitted by Tim Jones NSR SAR MGR- Field Recovery Leader


North Shore Rescue was tasked by The RCMP and BC Coroners Service Aug 19th to recovery the body of a young pilot from the wreckage of a light plane that had crashed into rugged terrain north of the top of the Indian Arm. Three survivors had been rescued by CAF 442 Squadron the previous evening.

Ten members and two Talon helicopters were involved in this operation which required extensive preplanning and equipment application to ensure a safe recovery due to fuel concerns and marginal weather conditions. As we could not see the actual crash site this required an extensive preplan with backup resources and manpower. The operation was launched from our new SAR Station at GVRD Bone Creek in the Seymour Valley.

NSR member Erik Bjarnson who is also a North Vancouver City Firefighter was deployed with special vehicle extrication equipment and protective equipment on loan via North Vancouver City Fire Dept. Special thanks to Assistant Chief Bob Schriner for authorizing this equipment loan.

Due to the weather concerns a full forward operating kit, a suitcase VHF radio and MSAT and portable power and medical equipment were deployed also

Once on scene via a hover exit myself and fellow member Dave Sulina approached the aircraft and confirmed the need for a full response. As we assessed the aircraft and hazards, team members Curtis Jones and Mike Danks were hover exited with chains saws to clear a path through heavy slash from the aircraft to an evac point.

Meanwhile Dave and I had a hooligan extrication tool with us and Dave was quickly able to pop off the door so we could accurately assess the situation which luckily for us was not as complicated as we originally thought.

I was able to radio out using my ICOM F70 with an extendable 2M antenna and communicate on our Mt Cathedral Repeater 5by 5 to my fellow SAR MGR Al McMordie who was coordinating the operations with Squamish RCMP Sgt .Peter Cross from Bone Creek. We quickly adjusted our plan due to excellent communications so as to stage the bulk of the resources and extrication equipment at a lower staging and expedite the recovery ( using our "portable human hoist"- Curtis Jones) out of the aircraft and conduct a quick sling recovery due to worsening weather conditions.

Once again excellent flying by Talon Pilot Brian Douglas on the close hover exits and sling operations under marginal flying conditions.

This operation demanded extensive preplanning, flexible adjustments and sound communications to be successful.

Great work to all my team members and the pilots of Talon Helicopters.

Tim Jones
SAR MGR and Field Recovery Leader

For members who were not on the team in 1996, we had a hardcore rescue just above the Elsay Lake Trail ( above Gopher Lake). A young boy scout named Phillp Gander fell almost 1000 feet down the gully system between 1st and 2nd Peak on Seymour.

He was an unconscious head injured patient who was seizuring when Don Jardine and I arrived via a no light jump off the skids helicopter rescue.

To make long story short I had to knock out his breathing and seizuring with some good drugs and then do a blind intubation to secure his airway and breath for him. CAF 442 squadron did a miraculous night time winch.

He spent 19 days in a coma and then woke up!

He and his mom Rosemary and brother Adam have never forgot about what we did that night. When Phil called me, he wanted me to meet him and his brother and scout troop for a hike this past Sunday August 12 th, to the spot where he fell and finally had the courage to visit .

It was quite an emotional moment for Phil and I was honored to be there.

There were many NSR members involved in this call . Allan McMordie in the 442 helicopter as a guide, Don J, Stan S , Gord F and many more....

Phillip Gander will shortly become a PHD ( McMasters) specializing in head injury trauma recovery.

Tim Jones (posted by John)

Dog found alive after a month lost on Mt. Seymour
Owner never gave up hope of finding Aniki
James Weldon, North Shore NewsPublished: Wednesday, August 01, 2007

A Vancouver man and his beloved dog were reunited Saturday after the canine spent nearly a month lost and alone in the North Shore wilderness.
The reunion was made possible by a lot of hard work, a lot of luck and -- oddly -- a set of lost keys.
Aniki, a four-year-old Rottweiler cross, vanished June 30 after owner Nam Hoang was forced to abandon the much-loved dog in a rugged area of Mount Seymour in order to save his own life.


Hoang had been walking Aniki and another dog on the mountain's first peak when he was forced to turn around because of Aniki's bad hip, which had recently undergone surgery. On the way down, Hoang inadvertently took a wrong turn and wound up descending into the Shone Creek drainage, one of the most arduous and dangerous areas of the North Shore.

They quickly got out of their depth, and within hours, Aniki, exhausted and in pain, collapsed. With the sun setting, and his dog unable to move, Hoang made the heartbreaking decision to leave Aniki there and continue on with the other dog, promising to return.

After a cold night spent on the mountain, Hoang emerged weak and dehydrated from the forest. He attempted to return for the dog but was unable to. Two friends went back to the mountain the following day, but were also forced to turn back, barely escaping the area themselves.
When the North Vancouver RCMP got wind of Hoang's plight, they passed the story on to members of North Shore Rescue, who decided to help. Hoang offered to cover the substantial cost of a helicopter to fly two members -- team leader Tim Jones and rescuer Doug Pope -- into the area to track Aniki. After a full day of searching, the pair located the dog's tracks, but found no sign of the missing pooch.

Over the following weeks, Hoang and other searchers returned to the mountain almost every day. With no trace of his cherished animal, Hoang's hopes began to falter. "Honestly, after the third week, my hopes were shaken," he said.
Then the impossible happened. On Saturday afternoon, Hoang received a call from North Shore Rescue. Aniki had been found alive.

Orson Moritz, a professor at the University of British Columbia, was hiking up the trail in search of some keys he had dropped earlier in the day, when he came upon the dog some 2 kilometres from where it had been lost. Moritz recognized Aniki from a poster. With the help of some other hikers, he managed to slip a rope around the dog's neck and lead it down the mountain. On the way, he was met by Jones and other members of North Shore Rescue, who were hiking up in response to another reported sighting. Jones put the dog in his car, drove to his house and called Hoang, who rushed immediately to North Vancouver. The reunion was an emotional one.
"He was crying. They both leaned their heads together. They just stayed like that," said Jones. "It was very touching, actually."
For Hoang it was very simple. "He's family," he said. "You would do the same if he were one of your family members."
Hoang took Aniki to a veterinarian, who pronounced the dog in good health. Aniki had lost 25 pounds, but was otherwise unharmed. The dog is recovering at home, and has already been out for walks.

"I feel a lot of relief," said Hoang. "The worst part was not knowing if he was still alive." Hoang credited a long list of Good Samaritans with the happy outcome.