The caller reported seeing a flare, somewhere between the Canadian Gulf Islands and the American San Juan Islands. The Victoria Coast Guard immediately dispatched Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA), Saanich Marine Rescue, Station 36 to respond to a possible Code-3, life in peril.

Vern Totten, deputy station leader, remembers that night of cold, heavy rain and poor visibility. “The Victoria Coast Guard Radio/Marine Traffic Communications also reported seeing four commercial vessels in our search area. We were only a three-person crew that night and considered ourselves lucky if we had 15 feet of visibility. While the coxswain was navigating our boat, working the search pattern and checking off the freighters as they passed, the other teammate and I were draped on the bow with our searchlights sweeping back and forth. For two-and-a-half hours, we searched for our boater in distress. In the end, it was all a hoax.”

Vern says it’s not uncommon to receive two or three hoax calls a year. “All calls get our full attention. We can’t ignore a call for help.”  

Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are trained extensively in every scenario that could possibly occur at sea. To be a volunteer, the individual must be 18 years or older, have a Pleasure Craft Operators Card, a Restricted Radio Operators Card, Basic Marine First Aid with CPR C and clear a standard Criminal Record Check. In an interview, the candidates are asked questions and have the opportunity to ask questions themselves to gain a better understanding about what the CCGA does.

A retired teacher, renowned kayaker and one of CCGA’s training officers Doug Alderson designed the course that involves a month of classroom training and open water orientation. The graduates are then assigned to a crew and receive extensive training in both the classroom and open waters. Volunteers take a year or more to complete this second level of serious training.

“There’s another optional training course taught by the Canadian Coast Guard and is called RHIOT, which is ‘Rigid Hull Inflatable Operator Training,’” says Don Woods. “The first words they say to you are: ‘We’re going to teach you how to operate this boat and drive it like it’s stolen.’ If any boater has a serious situation, you have to get there quickly.”

Don Woods grew up in the English Channel, moved to Saskatchewan to work as a research scientist and lost sight of water for 40 years. Retired and settled in Sidney, he wasted no time returning to the sea. An Auxiliary volunteer for six years, Don says, “More than 50 per cent of our calls require some type of assistance, that’s not a Code-3. We make sure the problem is contained, the occupants are safe and able to return on their boat.”

Many of the calls for assistance include empty gas tanks, boats adrift and getting lost. Vern recalls a recent incident of a stranded boat with five cold and wet passengers. There was no radio on board but a passenger managed to call for help with his cellphone. “We were there in less than nine minutes. With our crew of three, we were able to safely transfer everyone into our boat and bring them back. It was a good rescue and we felt good about it.”

Code-3s do occur and not all have a happy ending. Vern and Don remember the night when a seaplane went down on Lyall Harbour with eight adults and a six-month old infant on board. There were no survivors.

Another function of the Auxiliary is supporting other emergency services such as police, fire, ambulance, Land Search and Rescue, Air Search and Rescue as well as both Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards. Volunteers are trained to rescue people on the water, but may be needed to transport paramedics to an injured person or to assist in an airlift. Don recalls a recent incident where they were called to assist. “On one of the islands, this fellow was cutting a branch and fell out of the tree. He landed on the beach but had a broken hip. Our boats are built to land in shallow waters so we were able to assist in stabilizing him and preparing him for the helicopter airlift.”

There are 78 skills to learn to assist in a call for help. The volunteers practise them until they become second nature. The skills include towing, transferring occupants from one boat to another and “parbuckling,” a rescue technique of lifting a semi-conscious or unconscious person from the water.

Women are definitely a part of CCGA. As a professional first responder, diving instructor and professional crew, Marlene Dinsmore is one of the newest volunteers to join Station 36.
“I enjoy reinforcing the skills I already know, and love the challenge of learning new skills,” she says. “It is very different being part of a search and rescue team. Years ago, I was in a boating incident where the boat flipped and we ended up in the river. I know what it’s like to be the victim and also the satisfaction of being the rescuer.”

CCGA Saanich Marine Rescue receives minimal federal funding for the annual $60,000-80,000 required to operate the two boats for Station 36. They rely heavily on corporate and public donations, fundraising, legacies and BC Gaming grants. Volunteers unselfishly risk their lives around the clock, regardless of holidays. They actively provide pleasure craft safety checks as well as boating safety education programs to ensure the waters are safer for everyone and to reduce fewer incidents at sea.

Retired twice and beginning a new career, Vern describes his volunteer work as “neighbours helping neighbours and guests to our local waters. It’s a great way to give back to our community.”

For more information, visit www.marinerescue.org
To contact Saanich Marine Rescue Society as a non-sea-going volunteer, email society@marinerescue.org
For CCGA recruiting, email recruiting@marinerescue.org

DECEMBER 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND