A daring day of demonstrations at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruits School

September 27, 2024 - Defences Stories

Written by: Master Corporal Marc-André Vigneault, Flight Medical Technician at 439 Squadron, 3 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Bagotville.

Caption

Warrant Officer (WO) Robitaille, SAR Technician, demonstrates several types of operational equipment, including the emergency basket (“Billy Pugh”) and the emergency stretcher, on 30 August at CFLRS.
Photo credit: MCpl Vigneault, Flight Medical Technician, 439 Squadron

Under the bright late-summer sun on Friday, 30 August, the buildings of the Canadian Forces Recruit and Leadership School (CFRLS) in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu vibrated to the sound of the rotors on the Griffon CH‑146 belonging to 439 Squadron. A Search and Rescue (SAR) crew from Bagotville landed on the school grounds to present an information session and demonstration that would last several hours.

This activity was an initiative of Warrant Officer Veilleux, who is a SAR Technician and an instructor at CFLRS. Warrant Officer Veilleux, who has served actively in the SAR community and in the Special Forces, had been invited to be interviewed about his impressive career by podcast host l’Homme Fort Hugo Girard, an admirer of the CAF and a former police officer. After that interview, WO Veilleux had the idea of partnering with the Tigers of 439 Squadron to present a detailed overview of the capabilities deployed in their area of expertise. That team effort was a way of introducing the recruits, the instructors and the members of the personnel support programs in attendance to the most advanced rescue techniques, thereby strengthening their understanding of operations in the air environment.

In addition to the operational crew from Bagotville, a number of former Tigers gathered for the occasion. Warrant Officer Bruno Robitaille even made the trip from Ottawa to conduct the demonstration and clearly explain the world of SAR. 439 Squadron is a Combat Support unit and trains rigorously to maintain a level comparable to that of the “Primary SAR” bases and achieve smooth and instinctive interoperability.

So that’s how curious and enthusiastic members of the public had the opportunity to see the CH‑146 up close and get a sense of how it works. The crew members displayed the equipment used (spoiler: it’s not for decoration!) and demonstrated and explained the main duties of the crew. They even gave the public access to some of the equipment.

Hugo Girard’s past work as a police officer facilitated cooperation between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Sûreté du Québec for the event. Two officers from the Canine Squad were present with a German Shepherd, which added another dimension to the event. They demonstrated attack and defence techniques with their four-legged colleague, emphasizing the strength and effectiveness of cayenne pepper in critical situations. It proved that dogs can be just as formidable as their masters—and that pepper is not just for tacos!

The day wrapped up with a brief demonstration of manoeuvres conducted by a crew from 439 Squadron. The public got to watch techniques for insertion of personnel and an emergency stretcher by winching, extraction of an emergency stretcher, and simultaneous winching with two people on the cable. That practical demonstration enabled the audience to concretely visualize emergency rescue operations, offering a rare glimpse of the challenges the teams face on the ground.

The event was a great success, leaving a memorable impression and sparking the young recruits’ interest in a promising future career, while strengthening the ties among the organizations involved.