Alberta’s Heroes: Search and Rescue Teams in the 2023 Wildfire Crisis

In the aftermath of Alberta’s ‘worst wildfire season of the 21st century,’ Search and Rescue Alberta (SAR Alberta) set out to analyze their efforts during this crisis through a comprehensive wildfire report. Comprising 33 trained inland water and ground search and rescue teams with nearly 1,500 volunteer members across the province, SAR Alberta and its unpaid professionals played a pivotal role in supporting search and rescue efforts during the devastating wildfire season. This article explores the extraordinary efforts of SAR volunteers, and their invaluable contributions to the community during the 2023 wildfire crisis.

As a bit of background, SAR Alberta team members are drawn from all walks of life – they’re male, female, professionals, retirees, parents, grandparents, and everything in between. Although diverse, members share one common goal: a strong desire to help those in need. It drives teams to invest their own time and resources to train, travel, fundraise, and participate in search and rescue efforts across Alberta. Their commitment to public safety covers those who are lost, missing, stranded, or in distress.

Through their volunteer teams, SAR Alberta provides millions of dollars in infrastructure support for police, fire, emergency response, security, and first aid functions every year. Their association assists search and rescue teams across the province in their efforts to provide a superior level of service to the people of Alberta. SAR Alberta leads team oversight, stipulates membership requirements, works to establish standards for training and safety, and advocates with key stakeholders on behalf of SAR professionals.

Scale of Operations

From April 29 to June 9, 2023, 21 SAR Alberta Member Teams were deployed to 12 locations throughout Alberta, serving numerous municipalities and Indigenous communities. These locations were often hundreds of kilometers away from their home bases. Teams completed 33 ground, water, and air assignments at the request of local Emergency Coordination Centres. The dedication of over 400 SAR members translated to 6,657 volunteer hours recorded during this period.

SAR Team Response

Teams proved to be a crucial force multiplier during the early stages of the wildfire response. Their specialized training, certifications, and equipment allowed them to operate independently and in collaboration with municipal officials, law enforcement, and firefighters. These teams demonstrated remarkable adaptability by forming Incident Command System (ICS) Task Forces, enabling them to take on multiple assignments with minimal oversight. They often worked directly within ECCs, filling vacant ICS positions.

Intriguingly, SAR teams not only offered specialized services such as rope rescue, water rescue, and drone operations, but also essential support in logistical and reception centre operations, thereby freeing up resources for frontline firefighting. In some instances, SAR teams were dispatched to rescue stranded peace officers and firefighters, further emphasizing their diverse capabilities.

SAR Team Engagement

SAR teams were quick to respond to the escalating wildfire emergency in May, with teams like Hinton SAR, Grande Prairie TSR, Peace Region SAR, Lesser Slave Lake SAR, and Greenview SAR immediately offering to deploy. As the situation worsened, SAR teams played an enhanced role, and SAR Alberta mobilized resources and personnel to assist fatigued teams and conducted a comprehensive resource availability assessment to identify critical resources for deployment.

SAR Alberta also engaged with provincial ministries and officials to communicate deployments and resource availability throughout the crisis.

Moving Forward

Despite the remarkable contributions of SAR teams during the wildfire crisis, some areas of improvement were identified. A lack of awareness regarding team capabilities, insurance coverage, and the authority to task them hindered their immediate deployment.

As such, SAR Alberta is taking proactive steps to improve the coordination of SAR teams during emergencies. With two years of funding secured, SAR Alberta is hiring personnel to develop policy, strengthen relationships with partners, and provide further training for SAR teams. They aim to create educational programs for municipalities, emergency management personnel, and emergency response plans.

 With an enhanced approach, SAR Alberta and its membership will be in a position to provide substantial and coordinated resources to municipal ECCs during future disasters.

Conclusion

The 2023 wildfire season in Alberta tested the resilience, commitment, and capabilities of SAR teams. These volunteer teams, bound by an MoU with the Government of Alberta, proved to be an invaluable asset in emergency management. Their dedication to public safety and readiness to serve, combined with specialized training and equipment, allowed them to be exceptional force multipliers during this crisis.

With the support of SAR Alberta, teams will continue to strengthen their relationships with all levels of government, enhance their training, and provide better support to local communities. The lessons learned from the 2023 wildfire crisis will help SAR Alberta become more effective, proactive, and integrated into the emergency response systems within Alberta, ensuring the province is better prepared to respond to future emergencies.