After a couple of quieter years due to the pandemic, search activations picked back up in 2022 and kept the team on its toes.
In between searches, the team kept busy with all the other work necessary to fulfill SSAR's mission and vision.
SSAR's Mission
Assist our agencies having jurisdiction in addressing community emergencies, particularly in locating lost or missing persons.
Provide community outreach to prevent search emergencies.
SSAR's Vision
Be recognized as a leading search and rescue organization within Canada, responding to search emergencies and mitigating harm to search subjects.
Incorporate the latest technology and management systems, as well as effective training, to improve our capacity as concerned citizens and competent searchers.
Be a sustainable charitable and volunteer organization with stable funding and an engaged membership.
ACTIVATIONS
MISSION - Responding to search and community emergencies, locating lost or missing persons
In 2022, SSAR responded to 17 activations, including 3 searches that lasted for multiple days.
In 2022, SSAR members volunteered approximately 1850 search hours -- 2.5x as many hours as our next highest year!
Activation Information
PROJECT LIFESAVER SASKATOON
"Bringing loved ones home."
Since 2018, SSAR has been running the Project Lifesaver program in Saskatoon.
The program is designed to quickly locate individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to the potentially life-threatening behaviour of wandering.
Participants in the Project Lifesaver program wear a band on their wrist or ankle that emits an individualized radio-frequency signal.
If a participant wanders, SSAR members trained as Electronic Search Specialists enter the frequency into a receiver and use the signal to search for and locate the missing person.
In 2022, SSAR fitted 16 new participants with locating bracelets, bringing the total number of active and past participants in Project Lifesaver Saskatoon to more than 100!
At the end of 2022, Project Lifesaver Saskatoon had 46 active participants:
- 26 youth with autism or Down Syndrome.
- 20 adults with memory impairment due to dementia, Alzheimer’s, or an acquired brain injury.
SSAR responded to 5 Project Lifesaver calls in 2022 - all with favourable outcomes!
We are able to continue to provide this program at no cost to families because of the generous support of our sponsors and donations from the community.
We are tremendously grateful for all support received - no donation is too small!
If you have a loved one who wanders due to a cognitive disorder, visit https://projectlifesaversaskatoon.org, or contact us at projectlifesaversaskatoon@gmail.com.
TRAINING
VISION - Improving our capacity as concerned citizens and competent searchers
VISION - Be recognized as a leading search and rescue organization within Canada
In 2022, our dedicated volunteers spent over 4000 hours in training - honing skills, expanding competencies, and acquiring higher levels of certifications.
- 2022 was a big year for leadership training in SSAR. 12 new Team Leaders became certified in May, and 19 Team Leaders were re-certified throughout the year.
Our search management capacity grew, as 6 SSAR members took the Search Management Initial Response Incident Commander (SMIRIC) course in August.
This increased leadership and management capacity helped SSAR grow its entire team!
From August to December this year, 14 new Searchers were trained and are now ready to respond to activations.
All SSAR members maintain a minimum certification of Standard First Aid, but many members choose to train to a higher level.
This year, several members obtained their Advanced Wilderness First Aid (40 hr) certification, increasing their ability to care for subjects during search and rescue operations - especially those in a rural setting.
Welcome to all our new team members, and congratulations to all members who certified or re-certified their search, leadership, or first aid qualifications this year!
In addition to taking official courses and certifications, the SSAR team trains regularly to maintain and improve SSAR's competency in search and rescue.
Training can range from practicing specific skills...
... to integrating those skills in a full day mock search.
Training days always end with a team debrief to talk about what went well and what we could do better next time, as we strive for individual and team growth.
There's always something more to learn!
As SSAR continues to strive for increased operational effectiveness and enhanced search capabilities, some members of the SSAR team have begun developing and training a specialized Rapid Response Team.
The Rapid Response Team will allow Search Managers to send highly trained and experienced members in small search teams or as individual searchers in instances where search strategies indicate a need for it - for example, to increase the speed of the initial search response.
Other SSAR members are involved in K9 training with the Search and Rescue Dog Association of Alberta (SARDAA).
Jenga and her handler, Kate Dean, are a live-find K9 team certified in wilderness and urban search and disaster search.
Jenga and Kate continue to train regularly as an individual K9 team, with the SSAR team, and with other SARDAA K9 teams in Edmonton. They undergo recertification testing every 2 years.
Hawk and his handler, Erika Quiring, are currently training with SARDAA in the human remains detection profile. They have trained for over 340 hours since beginning their journey in April.
Hawk and Erika completed the first part of testing for Associate Membership with SARDAA in December and will complete the rest in the New Year. They will then continue training hard in 2023 to work toward Active Membership and certification testing.
Beyond SSAR's individual and team training, members occasionally have the opportunity to train with other search and rescue teams and other provincial emergency response personnel.
In September of this year, six SSAR members attended a Multi-Jurisdictional Search Exercise (MJSE) at Good Spirit Lake.
There, they worked together with agencies such as the RCMP, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, multiple fire departments, and other volunteer search and rescue teams across Saskatchewan to respond to a staged disaster scenario involving a tornado.
During the MJSE weekend, participants also had the chance to attend a variety of workshops, including one led by SSAR member Sherri Denis, who shared her knowledge and expertise about the Project Lifesaver program.
Other SSAR members also had an opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise outside of SSAR this year.
In November, Jonathan Dean and Rebecca Basset presented "Teaching in Orange" at the Canadian Association of Wilderness Medicine conference held in Canmore, AB.
The presentation shared methods and strategies they use with the SSAR team to elevate the medical capabilities of its members beyond standard first aid.
Saskatoon Search and Rescue members are unpaid professionals who volunteer their time, skills and energy because they believe in SSAR’s mission and vision.
SSAR's dedication to training and each member's commitment to it help bring SSAR's mission and vision to reality.
BEYOND THE FIELD
SSAR's mission and vision cannot be realized through training and field work alone.
In addition to time spent on activations and training, members also spend many hours on administration, logistics and maintenance, chapter and provincial level meetings, AdventureSmart programs, fundraising, and community events.
In 2022, SSAR members collectively donated over 8600 hours of their time to support and provide search and rescue in Saskatchewan.
Thank you to all members who took on formal roles within the organization.
- President – Joel Karstens
- Vice President – Tony Weber
- Treasurer – Vanessa Schneider
- Secretary – Mark Wells
- Training Director – Rebecca Basset
- Membership Director – Colin Federow
- Communications Director – Carla Eager
- Logistics Director – Chuck Ingerman
- Fundraising Director – Sean Taylor
- Preventative SAR Director – Brian Fehr (June-Oct), Amy Holowach (June-present)
- Project Lifesaver Director – Sherri Denis
- Director at Large - Dean Dodge
A special thank you and congratulations to long-time member of SSAR, Kent Orosz, on his receipt of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Kent has made invaluable contributions to SSAR and, provincially, to SARSAV over the years, and we are thrilled to see his service recognized.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MISSION - Provide community outreach to prevent search emergencies
Saskatoon Search and Rescue is committed to preventing search emergencies and empowering all ages to recreate safely in the outdoors.
In 2022, SSAR members delivered the AdventureSmart outdoor safety presentation to 690 participants.
In addition to preventative search and rescue efforts, SSAR engages with the community and raises funds and awareness for the organization by providing services such as communications, safety, and first aid at events throughout the year.
In May and June, SSAR members assisted with and provided First Aid services for the DePave Paradise event at Walter Murray School.
The project, hosted by Saskatchewan Environmental Society removed a portion of asphalt from an old, unused sport court and replaced it with a garden.
In July and September, SSAR provided communication services for the Canada Day Fireworks and the Nutrien Fireworks Festival.
In October, SSAR supported its colleagues at the YXE First Responder Fitness Festival, hosting a Culligan Water station for festival participants from Saskatoon's police, fire, and paramedic services.
When Santa Claus came to town, SSAR members were at his parade, providing communication services and safety support for the organizers and the Saskatoon Police Service.
SPONSORS AND DONORS
VISION - Be a sustainable charitable and volunteer organization with stable funding and an engaged membership.
Even with our commitment to activations, training, administration, and community outreach, SSAR's mission and vision still cannot be fully realized without external support.
Thank you to the following sponsors and donors who supported Saskatoon Search and Rescue in 2022. Your generosity is what allows us to serve our community!
Saskatoon Police Service for their honorarium to help fund our training and equipment needs, and Saskatoon Police Association for their donation to the Project Lifesaver Program.
Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation and SaskTel TelCare, who provided funding to support our new First Responder training initiative.
Saskatchewan Geospatial Imagery Collaborative for geospatial imagery for use with our mapping and search management technologies.
Woody's RV World for annual trailer maintenance.
Bit Service for their generous donation cheque.
Saskatoon Fire Department and the City of Saskatoon for providing office, garage, and storage space.
We also received numerous personal donations and a substantial donation from an anonymous corporate sponsor. Many individuals also contributed to SSAR by donating their SARCAN refunds to our account (using account code "SSAR").
We are extremely grateful for each and every contribution!
Finally, we were very excited to be able to host the Vancouver International Film Festival at the Broadway Theatre for first time since our COVID hiatus!
Thank you to our Matching Sponsors for this event, who matched private donations from the audience:
- Saskatchewan Government & General Employees Union (SGEU)
- Grace Beyers/1st Class Realty
...and thank you also to our Supporting Sponsors for the event:
- Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training
- Brainsport
- Outter Limits
- The Bike Doctor
- Bruce's Cycle Works, Saskatoon
- Woody's RV World
- Alpine Club of Canada - Saskatchewan Section
- SaskEnergy
- Mini Fridge Theatre
- The Prairie Summit Shop - Saskatoon
- Martensville Veterinary Hospital
- Eb's Source for Adventure
- Saskatoon Animal Control Agency
- G3Tech
- The Pathfinders Research & Management
- Erika Quiring Environmental Consulting
- Back2Nature Wellness and Adventures
- Prairie River Gardens
SSAR is run entirely by dedicated volunteers. Community support keeps us going.
To make a donation, please visit the donations page of our website. You can also learn more about our sponsors and donors.