CASARA volunteers take flight to save lives

14 October 2022 — Royal Canadian Air Force

Spotlight on SAR Partners

Author’s note on the series: This article is one of a series of articles aimed at informing Canadians about search and rescue (SAR) in Canada.

Author’s note on this article: This article focuses on CASARA’s participation in Canadian SAR and their training.

By Captain Bettina McCulloch-Drake
For 1 Canadian Air Division Public Affairs

Ever since humans found a way to touch the clouds and fly with birds in the late 18th century there have been accidents involving aircraft. And while we have gotten better in the areas of aircraft construction, maintenance and operation over the years, incidents and accidents involving aircraft still happen despite our best efforts.

On its website, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reports that “between 2010 and 2019 there was an average of 251 accidents and 790 incidents involving Canadian-registered aircraft reported per year.”

From taxiing and takeoff to approaching and landing, flying is not without its risks. And where there are risks, plans and resources need to be in place to respond quickly when something does go wrong.

When it comes to search and rescue (SAR), Public Safety Canada oversees the National Search and Rescue Program. Spanning federal, provincial and municipal jurisdictions, the success of this program depends on the integrated efforts of government and non-governmental organizations and agencies collectively referred to as “SAR Partners.”

Which SAR Partner takes the lead depends on the type of incident. For incidents involving aircraft, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), takes the lead, supported by other SAR Partners including the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).

A National, Volunteer-Driven Organization

With more than 1 800 volunteers nationwide, CASARA deploys its teams in support of aeronautical and marine search and rescue (SAR) missions as well as humanitarian missions whenever the need arises 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Organized into over 67 zones covering every province and territory, CASARA volunteers serve in a variety of roles including pilot, navigator, spotter, RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems) pilot, ground‑homing specialist, and support team member.

When they are operating their own aircraft, CASARA deploys experienced pilots along with trained CASARA navigators and spotters.

“All CASARA pilots are Transport Canada certified,” reveals CASARA National Administrator, Bill Ralph. “Prospective CASARA pilots must have no less than 150 hours pilot‑in‑command (PIC) flying time and be assessed by a qualified SAR pilot or flight instructor. They must also complete a search pilot course, practice low‑level flying and learn prescribed search patterns.”

Once certified in their rule volunteers must also undergo currency training every year in order to be considered for any taskings.

“Each year pilots must complete a minimum of 24 flying hours as PIC , six flights of one hour or more in support of SAR training and operations, three emergency locator transmitter (ELT) homings, and four different search patterns appropriate to their area of operation,” summarizes Bill Ralph.

CASARA navigators, many of whom are also pilots, are also required to be familiar with electronic flight and navigation systems, flight rules and flight planning using products such as ForeFlight.

“Our navigators need to complete a minimum of four hours of refresher training in the classroom per operational year,” begins Ralph. “They also need to complete a minimum of four flights lasting one hour or more; three ELT homings, one of which must be listening for a minimal or absence of an audible signal (i.e. aural null); and, four different search patterns appropriate to their area of operations.”

When CASARA volunteers cannot fly in their own aircraft they participate in SAR missions by flying in CAF aircraft alongside RCAF crews or in chartered commercial aircraft. “The number of private aircraft operation in Canada’s northern regions are limited,” says Major Claude Courcelles, National CASARA Liaison Officer for the RCAF.

“We presently operate only a few aircraft north of 60 degrees latitude, substituting with charter aircraft when required” adds Bill Ralph. “We do, however, aim to provide trained spotters whenever the need arises.”

CASARA spotters, as the name implies, are a search team’s eyes. “Spotters learn how to search for visual clues that may lead us to a missing plane or person,” says Ralph. “Aside from recognizing emergency signs and signals, our spotters are trained in target acquisition and reporting.”

Three decades of growth and challenge lead to a brighter future

Incorporated in 1986, CASARA has grown over the last few decades to become a highly experienced partner in search and rescue operations here in Canada. Every year, CASARA is involved with over 300 SAR missions, about 120 of those tasked through the Joint Rescue Coordination Centres in Halifax, Trenton and Victoria. The organization also holds between 2 000 and 3 000 training sessions and provides an average of 150 000 volunteer hours.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to keep crews current, CASARA volunteers has found alternate ways to maintain its commitment to keeping Canadians safe.

“While face-to-face operations and training has been difficult to maintain, our members have taken tremendous strides in keeping current,” reveals Ralph. “We have incorporated virtual training into our program and have staggered our training flights.”

More recently, CASARA has introduced a new sensor suite that will help to spot missing persons and downed aircraft quicker.

Introduced by CASARA Ontario in 2019, an advanced search imaging system (ASIS) was developed to employ equipment capable of taking thermal and high-density imagery. “Producing radiometetric imagery (R-Jpeg) files accurate within two-degrees Celsius, this equipment also features 16-times the zoom increasing the sharpness of pictures and videos,” says Ralph. “As our volunteers gain experience with this technology, more of our aircraft will be updated to include it.”

Imagery captured by aircraft and RPAS pilots using the ASIS is submitted for spectro-analysis using a newly acquired software called Loc8. “This software allows an operator to scan images collected post‑flight for specific colours,” remarks Gord Tessier, Director of Research and Development Communications at CASARA Ontario. “Once a potential search object is located, the geotag from the photo, along with terrain matching, allows search teams to find missing aircraft, watercraft, or persons more quickly.”

“Decreasing the amount of time spent in searching means the more time we have to dedicate to rescue or recovery operations,” adds Ralph. “In emergency situations, every minute counts.”

 

Reader Resources:

Public Safety Canada – Emergency Management

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/mrgnc-mngmnt/index-en.aspx

National Search and Rescue Program

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/mrgnc-mngmnt/rspndng-mrgnc-vnts/nss/prgrm-en.aspx

Transport Canada – Civil Aviation Reference Centre

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/reference-centre

Search and Rescue Operations in Canada

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/military-operations/types/search-rescue.html

Civil Air Search and Rescue Association – Air Search and Rescue

https://www.casara.ca/en

A man in military uniform speaking in front of a group of people inside a garage-type structure.

CASARA Ontario volunteers from Edenvale Zone 14 provide information at Edenvale Airport in August 2019. Left to right are: Sion Jones, Director Edenvale Zone 14; Paul Grenier; and Robin Hadfield.

Photo courtesy of Bill Ralph, CASARA National Administrator

Page details

Date modified: