Campobello Island, New Brunswick, is on its way to having its own Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, according to Gary Masson, Regional Business Manager for the Maritimes Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Masson said he expects the service to be up and running “by spring for sure.” He added that the capsizing of a Campobello fishing boat last August that resulted in the drowning of an Island fisherman was not the reason for establishing a local SAR unit — the nearest is Saint John — but it added impetus to the project.
“We’d had a few meetings before it happened,” he said. “But that gave it a real push. We’ve had 12 join up. They’ve had their basic training, and once they pass inspection, they’ll be ready to go. They’ll key into the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax. They’ll be a separate unit and part of Zone 15, which essentially covers the [Bay of] Fundy shoreline.”
Masson added that there are currently 16 zones in the Maritimes, “which we define as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands.”
He said that the move would not only benefit Campobello Islanders, but overall Coast Guard operations as well. “Fishermen have a big advantage in that they know local waters, and they also know where a fisherman might head in the event of trouble or a sudden storm. And of course response time is going to be a lot quicker,” he said.
Everyone should understand that these SAR personnel are all volunteers, Masson said. “They don’t get paid; they get reimbursed for fuel and expenses, but that’s it.”
Mike Voight, Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Superintendent for the Maritimes, echoed Masson’s statement.
“This new unit will be of tremendous value,” he says. “For one thing you can’t beat the local knowledge that these guys bring to the operation.”
Voight adds that of the 750-800 SAR volunteers in the Maritimes “Seventy-five percent are fishermen.” The volunteers bring with them approximately 450 vessels.