Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
How to operate snowmobiles and use chainsaws were two of the skills taught during a recent patrol conducted by the Fort Providence Canadian Rangers.

Members of the Fort Providence Canadian Rangers who participated in a winter patrol include Sgt. Clifford Vandell, top row, from left, Joseph Lacorne, Sam Elleze, Tom Farcy, Daryl Gargan, Ernest Nadli, Sheldon Sanderson, Cpl. Eric Nadli, and Cpl. Joseph Canadien. Middle row, from left, Violet Landry, Martha Landry, Shelia Landry, Stewart Nadli, Ronald Minoza, Master Cpl. James Matto, Dennis Bonnetrouge, Marilyn Bonnetrouge and Teena Causa. Bottom row, from left, Evelyn Sabourin, Lucas Elleze, Priscilla Canadien, Vernon Minoza and instructor Sgt. Marcy Maddison. - photo courtesy of Sgt. Marcy Maddison

Twenty-one Rangers spent five days on a winter patrol near Calais Lake, a three-hour snowmobile ride northeast of Fort Providence, from Jan. 19 to 23. Every Ranger group receives instruction and goes on one patrol a year.

"We try to make sure all the Rangers learn something new every year," said Ranger Sgt. Clifford Vandell.

The Rangers are asked what skills they want to learn during the patrol and those suggestions are incorporated into the trip, said Vandell, the officer in charge of the Fort Providence Rangers.

Snowmobiles and chainsaws

This year members of the patrol wanted to learn more about snowmobiles and chainsaws.

Before heading out on the land, the Rangers spent four evenings doing classroom training with Sgt. Marcy Maddison, a Ranger instructor from the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. Topics included weapon safety and shooting techniques, basic first aid, mapping skills and roles and responsibilities during a patrol on the land.

The patrols are partially about practising the skills taught in the classroom and observing the Rangers on the land, said Maddison.

"We see how well they function as a group," she said.

The snowmobile instruction came early in the trip. A few hours were devoted to allowing less experienced Rangers practise driving in deep snow and making their own trails. One of the Rangers had never driven a snowmobile before, but she was willing to learn, Vandell said.

At the camp, the Rangers practised skills needed to survive on the land in the winter including making improvised shelters, building fires in different ways, setting snares properly and using axes and chainsaws to prepare fire wood. The three Ranger corporals on the patrol supervised the chainsaw usage and taught basic chainsaw maintenance, among other skills.

Vandell said he was pleased to see that after years of training the corporals are starting to take on a larger role in the group, including keeping an eye on the less-experienced Rangers.

Search and rescue

Search and rescue techniques were also practised. The Rangers were given a scenario in which two people had gone hunting in the area and were two days overdue returning. The scenario tested the corporals' leadership and made sure proper procedures were followed, said Maddison.

The members of the patrol found the two Rangers, including Vandell, who were playing the part of the lost hunters, within approximately 45 minutes. Once he was located, Vandell said he was impressed by how quickly the Rangers got him wrapped up in blankets, lit a fire and set up a tent. They also prepared a runway for an airplane.

"They are getting better and better at it," he said.

Even Vandell, with 13 years of Ranger experience, learned something during the patrol. He was tasked with carrying a device that relayed the patrol's position to the headquarters in Yellowknife and allowed the patrol to receive updates about the weather.

"They are getting high tech now," he said.

Both Vandell and Maddison said they were pleased with how the Rangers did during the patrol.

"They met and exceeded a lot of the expectations," Maddison said.

Plans are in the works for next year's patrol. It's expected to take place in the fall and the Rangers will use ATVs, something they haven't done during a patrol in awhile, said Vandell.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.