The Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) is a non-profit, all volunteer-based organization that operates more than 30 marine rescue stations in British Columbia. RCMSAR is a key part of the marine search and rescue (SAR) system, with over 900 highly trained volunteers who work in one of the most challenging regions of the world. These individuals are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to marine emergencies at a moment’s notice. All station crew members and supporting board members are volunteers.
Station 14 is the local Gibsons RCMSAR rescue station, one of three along the Sunshine Coast (Gibsons, Halfmoon Bay, and Pender Harbour). Through an agreement with the Canadian Coast Guard, Station 14 is tasked with responding to marine emergencies by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria. Crew members are also available to provide support for on-the-water humanitarian aid when called upon by provincial authorities. The station’s volunteer base is managed by a station leader and local governance boards at each individual station, with support from RCMSAR headquarters in Sooke BC.
Station 14’s service area is about 600 sq km, which is a large operating area, with considerable commercial traffic day and night. The area is also busy with pleasure craft, especially in the summer and on weekends. The station responds rapidly to kayakers and kiteboarders in trouble, fires on board vessels, boats adrift, onboard medical emergencies, damaged and sinking vessels, and missing or overdue persons. The Station 14 vessel and boathouse, situated in Gibsons Harbour, were both paid for by grants and donations from the community.
In addition to its on-the-water rescue activities, Station 14 runs two other programs which give back to our community. With support from Telus and the Coast Guard, it has initiated “Kids Don’t Float”, a program that not only teaches children about water safety but also provides personal flotation devices for children, which people can borrow at Gibsons Marina and GLHA Gibsons Landing Harbour Authority (GLHA) location.
Station 14 also operates an annual Junior Training program, with support from the Sunshine Coast Credit Union, to encourage volunteerism and support skill-building for high school students. This program gives teens in the last two years of high school an opportunity to learn and train with current crew members in the hope that, somewhere down the line, they will return as mature trainee candidates or be able to serve in other communities.
RCMSAR relies on the generosity of donors to fund its lifesaving work. Every cent received is used wherever the need is greatest. From giving crew the tools and training they need to go out on a rescue and return home safely, to equipping young people with water safety skills, local RCMSAR stations are there to provide support whenever it is needed.
Gibsons Marine Rescue Society (GMRS) is a registered charitable organization whose purpose is to raise funds for Station 14, and to provide governance and oversight of the Station. You will, for example, see RCMSAR volunteers out on the streets alongside other first responders like paramedics and firefighters for the annual “Crash the Coast”’ campaign, which raises money on the Sunshine Coast for the Elves Club. About 50 percent of the annual operating costs for Station 14 come from donations or fundraising. The balance is provided by BC Gaming and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Recruitment is ongoing for the Station, GMRS Board, and Society (shore crew). Incoming crew are trained through different levels of competence, including training offered through Coast Guard and the RCMSAR headquarters in Sooke. However, support for the station can take many forms. If someone is not interested in serving on the water, they might become a member of the Board, or join the shore crew.
Contact the following for help in a marine emergency, listed in order of preference:
- Victoria Coast Guard radio on channel 16 if VHF radio is available
- Victoria Coast Guard radio via cell phone at *16 (make sure the cell phone is not forwarded elsewhere)
- Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) at *727 on a mobile, 1-800-567-5111 or 1-250-363-2333 from a landline
- 911
