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Lights, Camera,
Action!
We've talked about it. We've done it. We've waited for it. And now it's here!
Thanks so much to CTV Saskatoon for the promotional videos they have done for us and to SSAR member Dale Liebrecht for making this all come together. Both the shorter version and the longer version have been playing in commercial spots on CTV for the past couple weeks. Thanks also to the Saskatoon Police Service for helping with the aerial footage. We are absolutely thrilled with the final results!
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What's Happening
At SSAR
May is always a busy month and this year was no exception. National Emergency Preparedness Week and Provincial Missing Persons Week brings a full schedule of events and raising awareness through social media.
SSAR members attended the film screening of "My Only Daughter" held on May 6 at the Saskatoon Police Service. It is the story of the mother and family of Karina Wolfe and how they coped with Karina being missing for so many years (her remains were located last November). It is a very powerful and moving story that showcases the strength of Karina's mother, Carol. Excellent presentations were also made by Saskatoon Police Service Cst. Chris Harris and Missing Person Liaison Dorothea Swiftwolfe.
AdventureSmart Master Trainer Tracy VanBrabant was in Meadow Lake on May 8, instructing their new SAR team members to be AdventureSmart presenters. Their enthusiasm as a brand new SAR team was great to see!
Thanks to Shawn Bursey, Don Brophy, Louis Bossaer, Sherry Buller and Shelley Ballard-McKinlay for doing Hug-A-Tree and Survive Outside presentations this month.
Congratulations to SSAR member Jay Brown (aka SaskHiker) for being chosen as one of the finalists in Woods Canada's Greatest Explorer challenge. He's putting some of his SAR skills to use right now in Ontario where the competition is taking place. Good luck, Jay!
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Multi-Jurisdictional
Search Exercise #1
Thank you very much to everyone who was involved in organizing the multi-jurisdictional search exercise in Coderre on May 13-15. Especially Tracey Lagasse and the host team of Wood River SAR and Pat Casement who planned the exercise. SSAR members Dale Liebrecht and Kent Orosz, along with staff from Prairie Mobile, provided instruction on the new radios and ensured they were used effectively during the exercise.
The weekend was a great opportunity to be involved in a search exercise on a larger scale than the vast majority of us had ever experienced before, but was also an opportunity to meet SAR members from across the province. (Photos from the weekend.) We're looking forward to the next ones!
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Activations
This Month
SSAR was activated by the Saskatoon Police Service for a missing 5-year-old girl. Thankfully, she was located quickly and safely.
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SSAR
Annual General Meeting
The SSAR Annual General Meeting was held on May 26. Thank you and congratulations to the members who allowed their names to be put forward and who will hold positions on the Board of Directors for the coming year. Thanks to Don Brophy who was nominations chair.
President - Shelley Ballard-McKinlay
Vice President - Rebecca Basset
Secretary - Mark Wells
Treasurer - Sherry Buller
Training Director - Dale Liebrecht
Communications Director - Shelley Ballard-McKinlay
Logistics Director - Henry Eng
PSAR Director - Tracy VanBrabant
Membership Director - Shawn Bursey
Fundraising Director - Sean Taylor
Directors at Large - Shelly Ottley, Kent Orosz, Jarod Harvey
Significant changes and cleanup of wording to the Constitution and Bylaws were approved. Thanks to Sherry Buller and Mark Wells for doing a full review of these documents and recommending the updates.
All the reports from the previous year emphasized how much has been accomplished. Thanks to all members for all the hard work that's been put in to SSAR in the past year!
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Training and Events
Monthly Training Meetings
Training sessions are generally held the first Thursday and Saturday of the month. All Thursday evening sessions are held in the classroom at the Fire Training Centre, 116 Ave W S, unless otherwise specified. Field days are generally held the following Saturday.
Our regular June training dates have been cancelled due to the busy schedule and additional training/events we had in May. Summer training sessions will be announced in the next newsletter.
Communications Master Trainer Course
The master trainer course for the radio and communications equipment purchased through the NIF grant will be held in Saskatoon, June 25-26, for representatives from each of the SARSAV chapters.
SSAR members will be asked to attend all or part of this weekend to assist with the field portion of the training. Further details regarding time and location will be forthcoming once finalized.
Mental Health First Aid Training
Saskatoon Search and Rescue and the Saskatoon Police Service will be hosting a Mental Health First Aid course on September 17-18. The course is very valuable to SAR members as it teaches how to help people who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Members of all Saskatchewan SAR Chapters are welcome to attend. Cost will be approx. $35 to cover the cost of course materials (SSAR members will be covered by SSAR). Note: this course normally costs approx. $180 so this is a great opportunity. Further details and registration information will be made available once they are finalized.
SARSAV Meeting
The next meeting of the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) is Saturday, June 11, at 9:30 am at the Saskatoon Travelodge. The meeting is open to all members in good standing of Saskatchewan SAR chapters.
Executive and Directors Meeting
The next SSAR Executive and Directors meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 29, at 7 pm. (Note the change from our usual Thursday evenings due to the holiday weekend.) These are business-style meetings of our chapter and are held the last Thursday of each month. All members are welcome to attend. If you would like to speak to an issue concerning SSAR, please notify the President prior to the meeting so time can be allotted on the agenda. If you would like a copy of the minutes from any past meetings, please email us.
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What else would you like to see in the SSAR newsletter? Do you have something that should be included next month? Please email the Communications Director with your ideas, comments and feedback. Thanks!
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