2016 – A Year in Review
Our 2016 year in review article is spiced up a bit from previous years. Check it out here!
Category: Activations
2015 – A Year in Review
2015 was another very busy year for Saskatoon Search and Rescue. Here’s our year in review! Activations The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) and RCMP requested our assistance for both urban and rural searches for missing persons. Missing Person Activations: 7 Standby Requests (Missing Persons): 3 These were missing person cases that involved those who are most vulnerable – very young children and persons, both young and elderly, with mental and/or physical health concerns. (See map at end of post for more information.) Saskatchewan Emergency Management and Fire Safety (EMFS) also requested our assistance with the northern fire situation and four of our members,...
2014 – A Year in Review
For Saskatoon Search and Rescue, 2014 has been an incredible year of growth. Building strong relationships, increasing membership, community support, valuable training and activations. We are riding into 2015 on a wave of enthusiasm generated by our members and support from our agencies of jurisdiction and our community! Activations We had a record number of requests for service in 2014 from the Saskatoon Police Service and RCMP. We were assigned a wide variety of tasks that included both urban and rural searches for missing persons and evidence searches. Missing Person Activations: 11 Standby Requests (Missing Persons): 5 Evidence Search...
The Anatomy of a Search Activation
The text tone on my phone sounds at 1:45 am. Without looking, I know it’s a message from Rebecca. She’s the main keeper of the callout list for Saskatoon Search and Rescue and the only person in my contact list for whom I have an audible alert tone. “SPS Activation 0145hrs: 75 yr old male. Missing since 1900 hrs. Dementia, other med concerns. Meet pkg lot Greystone Hts School, 2700 Main St. Available?” Our Search Manager, Jeff, has received a phone call from the Saskatoon Police Service Watch Commander requesting our help. After getting all the details and confirming we...
Lost Person Behaviour: The Search for Austin Carter
On Friday, May 9, 2014, Saskatoon Search and Rescue was activated to search for a missing 15-year-old autistic boy, Austin Carter. Austin was found safely thanks to the joint search efforts of our organization, the Saskatoon Police Service, Corman Park Police, the Saskatoon Fire Department and MD Ambulance. Following activations, we always look back at what we did (or didn’t do) and examine what went right, what could have been done better. It’s easy to second-guess ourselves but we have to be careful to reflect on what we knew at the time, not all that we know now. Most people...