Some residents around Okanagan Lake may have seen some excitement on the morning of May 2.
What appeared to a vessel in distress with persons in the water was nothing more than a planned joint exercise between Penticton and District Search and Rescue a and Rescue helicopter team from RCAF 442 Squadron out of Comox.
The Rescue scenario saw 2 PENSAR swift water technicians being inserted into the lake with an overturned vessel with survivors.
The RCAF Cormorant approached and assessed the rescue scene, then dropped two SAR Techs into the water to evaluate the survivors, provide aid and perform an evacuation.
The two SAR techs who participated in the exercise are part of a national team of 140 highly trained specialists who provide advanced pre-hospital medical care and rescue for aviators, mariners and others in distress in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
The SAR techs are trained to a primary-care paramedic national standard with additional advanced skills. SAR techs are land and sea survival experts who specialize in rescue techniques, including Arctic rescue, parachuting, diving, mountain climbing and helicopter rescue. PENSAR has worked with 442 Squadron in the past and appreciated the opportunity to work again in the practice scenario. The Squadron is part of 19 Wing RCAF Comox, which supports B.C.’s volunteer SAR teams throughout the province.
The Squadron carries out search and rescue operations in the busiest region in Canada, stretching from the B.C.-Washington border to the Arctic, and from the Rocky Mountains to 1,200 kilometers out into the Pacific.
