Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (June 07/02) - Following the recent drowning of an Inuvik man, emergency services met last week to share resources and see how they can better-respond to emergencies during break-up and freeze-up.

Staff Sgt. Mark Wharton said it's is a very difficult time of year for search and rescue.

"How do we safely get out there," Wharton asked.

"It's these two-to-three-week periods, where people want to press their luck."

"Most of the time nothing ever happens, but if something does, we're jammed."

Wharton said a helicopter rescue was suggested in the drowning, but there was no guarantee the a helicopter could land on the ice.

"Was the ice strong enough to land," he asked. "Nobody could tell me that."

He recalled a recent search effort in the United States, where a rescue helicopter crashed, killing all aboard.

"The bottom line in any search, is to keep the searchers safe," he said.

"I don't ever in my service, want to have a rescuer get hurt or killed and I'll spend the rest of my life thinking, 'Was that really worth it?'"

"I don't want to be in that situation."

The RCMP have a boat for the summer and snow machines for the winter, but Wharton said the in-between-seasons hamper emergency work in the Delta.

"There is a two-to-three week period, in which Mother Nature causes more problems for us than a normal search and rescue," he said.

Searching for rescue funds

Following the de-briefing with RCMP last week, the Inuvik Volunteer Fire Department decided they will seek up to $80,000 in funding from public and private sources to buy a hovercraft and training for break-up rescue situations.

A hovercraft was eventually borrowed from Dowland Contracting in the recent drowning, but deputy fire chief Julie Miller says that equipment should be standard for the department.

Break and freeze-up have always been a difficult time for rescue efforts and Miller feels a new hovercraft and some new training will provide rescuers an instant option.

"We've encountered several incidents where we don't have the equipment to get us there," Miller said. "We have the training and the will, but if the ice is thin, we just can't get there."

Both Dowland Contracting and Westwind Recreation have both offered their services and equipment available for future search and rescue efforts.

Miller says the emergency crew's sole purpose is to get to the victim and provide aid, but without transportation they feel helpless.

"The frustration is incredible, when you're standing on the shore and you know you can't get there."

A hovercraft might not have made much of a difference in the recent tragedy, but Miller says getting to the victim is their job.

"Quick response may or may not always make a difference, but we'd like to at least get there to make that assessment," she said.

Miller said the department will try to fundraise $70,000 - $80,000 to purchase a hovercraft, suits and training for eight firefighters.

"We have seven exposure suits, but they all have holes in them," Miller said.

They also plan helicopter exit training with Resources Wildlife and Economic Development.

"That will give us another option to respond quickly," she said, adding that they are the only choice if a large number of rescuers are needed in a short time. For larger air and ground searches, she says Civil Air Search and Rescue (CASARA) can be mobilized, but it takes too long.

"In an emergency situation, you don't have that time," she said.