Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 05/00) - It will be easier to get civilian eyes in the sky thanks to a new search and rescue agreement.

A memorandum of understanding signed recently by the RCMP, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) has been hailed as significant.

CASARA was originally set up to assist the Department of National Defence in searching for downed aircraft. The association can now help with RCMP organized searches.

"In the past the RCMP couldn't call us for help," said Dave Taylor, Yellowknife's CASARA zone commander and chief search co-ordinator.

He said the RCMP had to call the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., to request assistance from the civilian group.

"The issue here is that we don't have a lot of missing airplanes," Taylor added. "The thing that does happen is hikers, boaters and snowmobilers get lost or fall through ice."

As a result of the MOU, CASARA -- which has more than 100 volunteer members and six aircraft available for search in the North -- can be called in directly by the RCMP. They will also be available to MACA's Emergency Measures Organization. That organization assists communities in developing their own emergency response programs.

"This provides the mechanism for RCMP (and the EMO) to call us up directly and because of that they are more likely to do so," Taylor said.

"There's been a number of searches we could have been helped in but were not asked to help, and our membership finds that frustrating."

He added the advantages related to the agreement are highlighted by the level of training the volunteer civil air service that members have.

They consist of pilots, spotters and navigators who take part in routine training to keep certified.

"It's fairly significant," said Sgt. Marlin Degrand of the Yellowknife RCMP.

"It really does show how search and rescue is changing in the Northwest Territories from being one agent to working with as many groups as we possibly can."

Degrand said the measures taken to make the search and rescue process more efficient in the North has taken some time. It was initiated in 1993, but has been held back by red tape, such as liability issues.

He said the RCMP has really been trying to change the process recently.

"There has been a significant push in the last several years to see our operations more closely linked to civilian groups," he said. "Ninety per cent of the searches that I've been involved in have had an aerial component."

CASARA has been active in the North for 11 years. It currently has stations in Hay River, Yellowknife and Inuvik, and plans to establish ones in Fort Smith and Fort Simpson.