Sundre Search and Rescue Society (SAR) members took part in a recent exercise in conjunction with the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).
Held at the Sundre Airport, which is owned by Mountain View County, the exercise involved team members using a handheld receiver to locate a simulated aircraft crash site at the west end of the airfield, explained SAR president Roger Tetreault.
Once there, members found three “victims” of the crash and were required to assess the situation, he said.
“A Canadian Forces SAR Technician from 435 Rescue Squadron based in Winnipeg was on site to evaluate each team,” said Tetreault. “In total there were six Sundre SAR members and two Sundre SAR search managers participating in the exercise.
“In total three CASARA teams attended the Sundre ‘crash’ site and each team took away valuable learnings. It was a great exercise for Sundre SAR to participate in and we learned valuable skills from the SAR tech as well.”
The exercise was originally to have involved three sites, but heavy smoke in the area prevented use of two of the sites west of Sundre, he noted.
A Canadian Forces Griffon rescue helicopter was also scheduled to be involved, but was called off due to mechanical problems.
SAR members come from across Mountain View County.
