CASARA NS MEMBERS QUALIFY
AS ASSISTANT SEARCH MASTER
.APRIL 17, 2018
Sydney, Nova Scotia ~ During April 04-12, 2018, members of CASARA Nova Scotia attended the latest Assistant
Search Master (ASM) Course, put on by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), with the Atlantic CASARA
Liaison Officer (CLO), Capt. Jeff Isenor as the Course Director.
The venue for the course was the Canadian Coast Guard College (CCGC) in Sydney, NS – where we were joined
by students from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), and fellow CASARA
volunteers. CASARA was very fortunate to have seven members as students and three of the CASARA CLOs
as directing staff, each of whom had travelled from the far reaches of the country to attend this valuable training. The Directing Staff consisted of members from the RCAF, CCG, and CASARA, including our own Provincial Training
Officer (PTO), Olivier Beyer.
During the two-week course, students were put through their paces, as they participated in a variety of
SAR-related lectures and real-time simulations – all designed to prepare them for the ASM role in a Major RCAF deployed search.
From the routine generation of tasking for primary search assets, such as the Hercules, Cormorant, Griffin, and
Buffalo; to engaging with Media and Next of Kin; deciding where to deploy CASARA; inserting SAR Techs via
parachute; and when to call on additional air search assets from other Squadrons - this course had it all!
“I think I learned more about search coordination on this course in the past ten days, than I have in the
past fifteen years at CASARA,” said Barry McCallum, Zone Commander of the Sydney Zone.
By the end of the week, everyone had been exposed to more real-world search scenarios, than anyone would
ever likely experience in a lifetime, and we all came out of it with a far greater appreciation for the great work
done by all who contribute to the National Search and Rescue Program (NSP).
For those of you who may have been volunteering for CASARA for a while, and are looking for a challenge, the
ASM Course comes highly recommended. Dust off your old CASARA Handbook, flip through the CASARA Training Manual, and crack open your shiny new copy of the Canadian Aeronautical and Maritime Search & Rescue
(CAMSAR). The lessons learned and experience gained on the RCAF ASM Course is absolutely second to none.
Sydney, Nova Scotia ~ During April 04-12, 2018, members of CASARA Nova Scotia attended the latest Assistant
Search Master (ASM) Course, put on by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), with the Atlantic CASARA
Liaison Officer (CLO), Capt. Jeff Isenor as the Course Director.
The venue for the course was the Canadian Coast Guard College (CCGC) in Sydney, NS – where we were joined
by students from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), and fellow CASARA
volunteers. CASARA was very fortunate to have seven members as students and three of the CASARA CLOs
as directing staff, each of whom had travelled from the far reaches of the country to attend this valuable training. The Directing Staff consisted of members from the RCAF, CCG, and CASARA, including our own Provincial Training
Officer (PTO), Olivier Beyer.
During the two-week course, students were put through their paces, as they participated in a variety of
SAR-related lectures and real-time simulations – all designed to prepare them for the ASM role in a Major RCAF deployed search.
From the routine generation of tasking for primary search assets, such as the Hercules, Cormorant, Griffin, and
Buffalo; to engaging with Media and Next of Kin; deciding where to deploy CASARA; inserting SAR Techs via
parachute; and when to call on additional air search assets from other Squadrons - this course had it all!
“I think I learned more about search coordination on this course in the past ten days, than I have in the
past fifteen years at CASARA,” said Barry McCallum, Zone Commander of the Sydney Zone.
By the end of the week, everyone had been exposed to more real-world search scenarios, than anyone would
ever likely experience in a lifetime, and we all came out of it with a far greater appreciation for the great work
done by all who contribute to the National Search and Rescue Program (NSP).
For those of you who may have been volunteering for CASARA for a while, and are looking for a challenge, the
ASM Course comes highly recommended. Dust off your old CASARA Handbook, flip through the CASARA Training Manual, and crack open your shiny new copy of the Canadian Aeronautical and Maritime Search & Rescue
(CAMSAR). The lessons learned and experience gained on the RCAF ASM Course is absolutely second to none.
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