From June 17-21, Thompson’s wooded areas served as the testing grounds for the Keewatin Tribal Council’s (KTC) newest program, which involved teaching northern residents how to conduct a proper ground search and rescue operation.
This course was split into two sessions over five days, and involved 48 participants from over 11 surrounding communities, including Gods Lake Narrows, York Factory and Nelson House.
According to KTC co-ordinator Echo Dumas, this course was designed to ensure that at least one or two people from each of these isolated communities has the ability and the know-how to successfully spearhead the search for a missing person if given the chance.
“That was the whole idea, to be prepared and get them trained, because I know we’ve been across so many searches that weren’t done right,” she said.
With the help of two representatives from the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner, each participant learned how to successfully navigate their way through a thick wooded area using a map, a compass and a GPS device.
They also learned about proper search party protocol to and how to remain respectful if someone discovers a dead body.
While this involved a lot of in-class theory, each participant was eventually asked to put these new skills to the test by going outside and discovering a series of waypoints using clues and environmental hints.
On Wednesday, Leaf Rapids resident Lorynn Anderson told the Thompson Citizen that the course was packed full of useful information that will definitely come in handy when she returns home.
“There’s been some people that went missing in Leaf Rapids, and there’s not many people around there that know about search and rescue,” she said. “So I thought it would be good to get this [training] so we can have some kind of understanding and help the next time that someone goes missing.”
Dumas said every person who completed this course received ground search and rescue certification from the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
