Members of 424 Squadron rescue boater in St. Lawrence near Dorval
News Release
Trenton, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron from 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, came to the aid of a boater, whose 25-foot sailboat had capsized two miles south of Dorval, Quebec, on September 17, 2018
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton was advised of a Personal Locator Beacon activation in the St. Lawrence River and a CH-146 Griffon helicopter crew was launched to investigate.
Upon arrival, the crew spotted an individual on top of a boat and two Search and Rescue Technicians jumped into the water to assist. The pair of SAR techs stayed with the boater and signaled a passing vessel to assist. The SAR techs transferred the individual to the passing boat where he was taken to a local marina in good condition.
Quote
“Once on scene we decided to insert the search and rescue technicians into the water to swim to the boater who was on top of the hull. We dropped a smoke marker into the water to mark the position for a passing sailboat to assist in the rescue.”
– Captain Rich Gough, CH-146 Griffon pilot, 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron
Quick Facts
- Once the boater was safely on board a passing vessel, the Griffon helicopter landed in a nearby sports field at a school to await the return of the search and rescue technicians.
- Search and rescue (SAR) incidents under the federal SAR mandate are defined as all aircraft incidents and all marine incidents in waters under federal jurisdiction. With the exception of federally owned National Parks, the overall responsibility for land and inland water search and rescue rests with the provinces, territories and municipalities.
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Related Links
Contact
Captain Trevor Reid
Royal Canadian Air Force
8 Wing Trenton Public Affairs
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 613-392-2811 x2041
