Canadian Armed Forces Search and Rescue (CAFSAR; ) is the collective name used to refer to
search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) resources and operations within the
Canadian Armed Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
(CAF). The
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
(RCAF) is primarily responsible for the military's SAR operations.
History
Military search and rescue in Canada traces its history to 1942
when
Wilfred May pioneered the concept of parachuting survival experts into airplane crash sites. The Royal Canadian Air Force, impressed with "Wop's" rescue squad, enrolled the first three RCAF Pararescue jumpers in June 1944. January 1945 saw the first RCAF pararescue course with graduates stationed to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Sea Island, British Columbia; and Edmonton, Alberta. The RCAF and the Fleet Air Arm of the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
(RCN) began to task aircraft resources for SAR operations and occasionally perform joint operations.
Unification of the RCAF and RCN with the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
in 1968 formed the Canadian Armed Forces, at which time SAR operations were divided between
Maritime Command
Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the Commander MARCOM is the prime maritime advisor to the Alliance. When directed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), it provides the core of th ...
and
Force Mobile Command
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
. It was only after the Canadian Forces Air Command (now RCAF) was created in 1975 that SAR responsibility was transferred to a single environmental command in the CAF.
The formation of the
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...
in 1962, as well as its civilian predecessor agencies and some volunteer organizations, have held responsibility for the vast majority of maritime SAR operations in Canada since the 19th century. Pacific and Atlantic maritime SAR is directed from Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCC) located at Maritime Pacific and Atlantic Naval Headquarters in Esquimalt, BC and Halifax, NS. The centres are manned by Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Coast Guard personnel. A third JRCC is located at Trenton, Ontario and is responsible for the Great Lakes and the North.
In 2014, the RCAF revamped its FWSAR replacement project to have the competitors suggest the best locations to base the aircraft out of.
Operations
Search and rescue operations cover the entirety of Canada's SAR Region (SRR) which measures . Resources are operationally administered in three SAR regions by each respective Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC):
* Halifax SRR (administered by
JRCC Halifax
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax (JRCC Halifax) is a rescue coordination centre operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).
JRCC Halifax is responsible for coordinating the Search and Rescue (SA ...
)
* Trenton SRR (administered by
JRCC Trenton)
* Victoria SRR (administered by
JRCC Victoria)
Resources
Canadian Forces search and rescue resources are mostly in the form of squadrons of dedicated SAR aircraft located at bases across the country supported by 750 personnel, which includes ground crew, air crew, and 150 Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR Techs). CF SAR operations occasionally provide assistance to civilian agencies which lack the resources and equipment to conduct a large scale SAR operation.
;Search and Rescue technicians (SAR Techs)
Search and Rescue technicians are
advanced trauma life support pararescue specialists trained in
military freefall, diving,
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
, rappeling,
wilderness survival
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
in extreme conditions, hoist rescue operations and various other rescue-related tasks, such as securing
landing zone
In military terminology a landing zone (LZ) is an area where aircraft can land.
In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft, especially helicopters, land (equivalent to the commonwealth landing point.)
In ...
s/drop zones or leading mountain rescue operations in coordination with civilian agencies and volunteer organizations. After a two-week selection period, SAR Techs undergo 11 months of initial training at the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue, based at
19 Wing Comox in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.
;Squadrons
*
103 Search and Rescue Squadron -
9 Wing Gander
Canadian Forces Base Gander (also CFB Gander, ), is a Canadian Forces base located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is home to search and rescue operations that cover ...
*
413 Transport and Rescue Squadron -
14 Wing Greenwood
Canadian Forces Base Greenwood , or CFB Greenwood, is a Canadian Forces Base located east of Greenwood, Nova Scotia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is one of two bases in the country using th ...
*
424 Transport and Rescue Squadron -
8 Wing Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub ...
*
435 Transport and Rescue Squadron -
17 Wing Winnipeg
*
442 Transport and Rescue Squadron -
19 Wing Comox
;Equipment
*
CH-149 Cormorant, land-based SAR helicopter
*
CH-146 Griffon
The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-role utility helicopter designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant of the Bell 412EP for the Canadian Armed Forces. The CH-146 is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaissa ...
, land-based SAR helicopter
*
CC-130 Hercules, transport and rescue (long-range)
*
CC-115 Buffalo
The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing ( STOL) utility transport turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off ...
, transport and rescue (retired)
*
CC-295 Kingfisher, rescue (delivery underway; initial operational capability expected 2022
)
Additional resources available for SAR include:
*
CC-138 Twin Otter, primarily transport aircraft. The Twin Otters often participate in Arctic SAR missions because they are the only RCAF aircraft permanently based in Northern Canada.
*
CP-140 Aurora
The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a patrol aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. Aurora ( ...
, anti-submarine/marine reconnaissance fixed wing (sometimes used to assist search and rescue in marine operations).
;Retired aircraft (1968–present):
*
CH-113 Labrador
The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter powered by twin turboshaft engines. It was designed by Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol following Vertol's acquisition by Boeing.
Development of th ...
, helicopter (replaced by
CH-149 Cormorant)
*
CH-118 Iroquois, land based SAR helicopter (replaced by
CH-146 Griffon
The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-role utility helicopter designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant of the Bell 412EP for the Canadian Armed Forces. The CH-146 is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaissa ...
)
*
Vertol Model H-21B or
Vertol Model 44A (
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
)
*
Grumman SA-16 Albatross
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin–radial engined amphibious seaplane that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), primarily as a search and rescue (SAR) aircraft. Origina ...
(Royal Canadian Air Force)
*
Consolidated PBY Canso
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...
(Royal Canadian Air Force)
*
C-47 Dakota
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
(Royal Canadian Air Force)
*
Sikorsky S-55
The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom ...
(
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
)
*
CH-124 Sea King
The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed for shipboard use by Canadian naval forces, based on the US Navy's SH-3. It served with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Armed Forces fr ...
, anti-submarine/multimission helicopter
See also
*
National Search and Rescue Program
References
External links
What We Do
{{DEFAULTSORT:Search And Rescue
1968 establishments in Canada
Canadian Armed Forces