Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre Victoria
General
The Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) is one of three Canadian JRCCs; the others being in Trenton, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The JRCC is responsible for coordinating the Search and Rescue (SAR) response to air and marine incidents within Canada and adjacent waters. Specifically, the JRCCs will respond to air incidents anywhere in Canada and marine incidents in Canadian tidal waters and the Great Lakes. As a secondary role, JRCCs coordinate requests for humanitarian assistance from other levels of government for federal SAR resources to assist with incidents that fall within provincial or municipal jurisdiction (eg. searching for missing hunters or hoisting injured hikers and medical evacuation when civilian agencies unable due to weather or location.
Organization
The JRCCs are uniquely staffed jointly by the Air Force and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) 24 hours a day year-round. Two marine controllers (CCG officers) and an air controller (Air Force pilot or navigator) and his air assistant (air traffic controller or air weapon controller) respond to tens of thousands of radio and telephone calls that produce nearly 3,000 SAR cases annually that are part of the more than 7,500 national cases each year. Approximately 75 per cent are marine related with the busiest months being May to August. The Department of National Defence (DND) has overall responsibility for the operation of the coordinated federal SAR system but primary (full-time) SAR resources are provided by both DND and Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Within DND, SAR policy and procedures are a Canada Command responsibility with each JRCC being operationally responsible to the senior military officer in their region - for Victoria this is the Commander of Joint Task Force (Pacific). JRCC Victoria is located in HMC Dockyard at CFB Esquimalt, BC.
Geographic Area
The Victoria Search and Rescue Region (SRR) is made up of BC, Yukon, and a portion of the north-eastern Pacific ocean. It is approximately 490,000 square miles of mainly mountainous terrain, with another 275,000 square miles of ocean and 20,000 miles of coastline. The oceanic area extends westward 900 miles in the south and 350 miles in the north.
Adjacent RCCs
Search & Rescue is truly an international activity. JRCC Victoria works closely and shares resources freely with three adjacent RCCs: Juneau, Alaska to the north, Trenton to the east, and Seattle, Washington to the south. The coastal JRCCs share common air and marine radio circuits and all JRCCs are linked by hot line telephone and are mutually connected through the Canadian SAR Mission Management Computer System (SMMS) Network. It is not unusual for American or Canadian rescue units to respond to distress calls in each other's area when they are the closest available unit. Joint operating agreements and special customs procedures promote maximum cooperation that provides an optimal response to any distress.
Marine Resources
The Coast Guard is a large and integral part of the SAR system. The Coast Guard provides the primary marine resources to the federal SAR system, with two vessels continually patrolling the North/South SAR areas, plus 11 rescue cutters and 2 hovercraft located at 12 fixed bases on 30 minute standby. During the busy summer season, the regular SAR fleet is supplemented by Zodiac-type inshore rescue boats at locations with high concentrations of pleasure craft. In addition to these full-time SAR resources, the Coast Guard and other federal departments operate a variety of other vessels which are multi-tasked but available for SAR if needed. Canadian Naval ships are considered as secondary SAR resources under the National SAR Plan and regularly respond.
The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CGA) is a national volunteer marine group with 1,100 members that operate 380 private rescue boats. They are well organized and train regularly; these community-based volunteers can often provide the fastest response. Vessels of opportunity are important in resolving many cases. International law requires that vessels assist each other during distress situations and many, if not most, marine cases are resolved by assistance from other vessels in the vicinity of the distress.
Air Resources
The primary SAR air resource in this region is 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron located at 19 Wing Comox on Vancouver Island. 442 Squadron is equipped with five Cormorant CH-149 helicopters and six DeHavilland CC-115 Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft. The Buffalo is the primary search platform and is ideally suited for mountainous terrain. The Cormorant is the main rescue aircraft, and because of its versatility, it can operate effectively in mountain and marine environments. Other aircraft are available from federal and provincial departments if required. JRCC Victoria will also charter local helicopters to perform certain SAR functions if this is more economical.
The Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) is a national organization of volunteers who actively participate in aircraft searches. They have 980 members and operate 100 private aircraft in many areas of the Victoria SRR. CASARA may be tasked at any time of day or night and can conduct both electronic direction-finding missions and visual searches. They are a primary source of trained spotters for military and civilian aircraft participating in major searches, and they often provide or arrange facilities for temporary Search Headquarters.
SARSAT
One of the most useful tools in the Canadian SAR system is the Search and Rescue Satellite or SARSAT/COSPAS satellite surveillance system that was jointly founded in 1981 by Canada, USA, France and USSR. At present18 countries participate. The Canadian system uses three earth stations - Edmonton, Churchill and Goose Bay, to monitor six satellites in polar orbit. These satellites detect and locate air and marine emergency beacons, referred to as Electronic Location Transmitters (ELTs) and Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), which transmit on 121.5, 243.0 and 406.0 MHZ.
Contacting the JRCC
The toll-free emergency phone number for JRCC is 1-800-567-5111 that is only available in BC and the Yukon. Cellular users can contact JRCC toll-free by calling STAR 311 (*311) – a free community service provided by Telus Mobility and Rogers. Members of the media are requested to call (250) 363-2995 to speak with a public affairs officer.
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