Since 2013, the Canadian Coast Guard has operated an Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) facility on a seasonal basis at HMCS Discovery, a Royal Canadian Naval Reserve facility located on the shore of Vancouver Harbour. Established in the 1970s, CCG’s IRB program provides search and rescue coverage in key areas – including major metropolitan harbours – during peak times in the recreational boating season.
At the IRB station, an experienced Canadian Coast Guard rescue specialist acts as the station coxswain. Rescue Specialists possess a wealth of knowledge and experience including how to respond to a search and rescue incident safely and effectively, damage control training, advanced first aid skills, and restricted visibility navigation. They are assisted by two crew members, who receive training in search and rescue as well as first aid.
Each Inshore Rescue Boat station is equipped with a Zodiac Hurricane Technologies 733 or 753 model Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. The twin outboard engine, seven-metre boats are open, fast-rescue craft which are used extensively at Canadian Coast Guard lifeboat stations and on major Canadian Coast Guard ships. Their speed, design and shallow draft make them extremely effective platforms for the Inshore Rescue Boat program and search and rescue in general.
So far this year, CCG’s IRB crews stationed at HMCS Discovery have responded to 113 calls and been tasked to investigate 21 pollution reports. The station is normally operated from May through September. Under a plan announced by the Government of Canada, this year’s season is being extended to Thanksgiving.
As well, the Department of National Defense will make improvements to the Coast Guard’s IRB facilities at HMCS Discovery in the amount of $2 million.
The Canadian Coast Guard is also opening an environmental response office at HMCS Discovery, equipped with a pollution response vessel (PRV), providing a base of operations for crews as they respond to reports of pollution in the high vessel traffic area of Vancouver Harbour.
The Canadian Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for overseeing the response to ship-source or mystery source pollution. The Environmental Response Program monitors or manages the clean-up efforts in Canadian waters under Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness Response Regime.
Through the Environmental Response program, the Canadian Coast Guard works to minimize the impact of marine pollution incidents and the economic impact of such incidents. As such the program relies heavily on water-based platforms to carry out their objectives.
Pollution response vessels like the one being stationed at HMCS Discovery are designed to be multi-functional and technologically and operationally advanced to support environmental response personnel when preparing for and completing their missions. The vessel will be used to transport personnel, deploy skimmers and boom, and support on shore/near shore recovery operations.
Major spills are cleaned up by certified response organizations, such as Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, which has 12 vessels stationed at seven locations in Vancouver harbour.
For more information on the environmental response and search and rescue equipment, crews and capability of HMCS Discovery and other locations in the Vancouver area, please consult the map:
Vancouver Area Integrated Environmental Response and Search and Rescue Assets