Search & Rescue

"That others may live." The motto of Canada's search and rescue forces says it all. Although equipment and new technologies are an integral part of the air force's commitment to search and rescue (SAR), it is the dedication and sacrifice of the more than 700 people directly involved in saving lives that make the Canadian SAR system one of the best in the world.

There is no civilian organization with the same depth of resources, both people and equipment, to respond immediately to distress calls in any part of our vast country or the oceans that surround it. Air force SAR crews coordinate and conduct searches, administer emergency medical aid at crash sites and transport injured people to hospital, often risking their own lives to save the lives of others.

With a combined responsibility of 15,540,000 square kilometers (Canada's landmass, territorial waters and mid-ocean sections of the Atlantic and Pacific) and the challenges of terrain and climate, search and rescue in Canada is a demanding and daunting task.

The need for the SAR resources of the air force - its' well trained crews, nationwide distribution of Aircraft and central command structure - continues to grow. Commercial activities such as shipping, offshore oil and gas exploration, fishing, recreational boating and flying are on the increase. They all have inherent risk, placing Canadians in danger. This is why SAR is an air force priority.