Blog

Both Station, and our Society, were kept active this year.

Our Accomplishments During 2021

 

On January 17th, the BC Community Gaming Capital Projects announced the Shuswap Lifeboat Society was successful with a recent grant request:

– $250,000 to assist us construct a Rescue Base for the Station.

Discussions are currently underway with the Builder, and we anticipate construction to commence Summer of 2022.

Station 106 Shuswap continues to move forward with building a facility to house and protect our rescue vessels – a floating Rescue Base.

The boathouse contains 2 bays to moor our two Rescue Vessels with a heated and fully equipped Ready Room for the responding volunteer crews to gear up quickly, safely, and prepare for missions.

This Ready Room will also permit meeting space for the crews, and can be used for basic training, such as virtual radar and navigation training, without incurring the greater expense of using a vessel on water.

Thanks to significant grant funding from Shuswap Community Foundation, the design phase is complete and the engineered plans prepared.

The Society is in discussions with community partners to develop a financing package, and we hope to begin construction in 2022.

If an organization or any person is interested and able to help us with this endeavour, please email the Society at shuswaplifeboatsociety@gmail.com

 

The Shuswap Lifeboat Society AGM occurred on November 15, 2021.

Often wonder how the Society interfaces with Station 106 Shuswap?

Everything operational is the responsibility of Station 106 Shuswap.

Crew – recruitment, new crew training to Canadian Coast Guard criteria. Accepted crew receive additional training including boat handling in close quarters, seamanship, radar, gps navigation, chartwork, first aid, cold water survival, and SAR skills. Vessels – maintenance, upkeep, cleanliness, disinfection, and restocking. Missions – scheduling crew, and safely performing the SAR Taskings.

The Shuswap Lifeboat Society (SLS) is the Business Entity of Station 106, by supporting the Operations with a primary purpose of ownership of the assets, and financial support.

Activities include fundraising, donor management and recognition, asset management, receiving and disbursement of funds, including payment of expenses.

The Society is able to issue charitable tax receipts for donations.

Society members must be members of Station 106.

To serve on the SLS Board, a person does not need to be an active crew member. Any person who has an interest in the activities of RCMSAR Station 106 Shuswap, either as active crew, or support member dockside, or with the Society are always most welcome to join us.

Send us an email at the address found on the Home Page.

Current SLS Directors are:

Bruce Weicker, President

Pat Gau, Vice President

Marie Gray, Treasurer

Norma Leslie, Secretary

Cliff Doherty, Director At Large

Doug Wasylinki, Director At Large

John Creighton, Director At Large

Rob Sutherland, Station Leader ( ex-officio position )

Ryan Guilbeault, Financial Services  ( ex-officio position )

Women Who Wine –  https://womenwhowine.ca/    Their mission is –

“Connecting and empowering women of various business acumens 

in our community through meaningful networking events and

collectively giving back to our community through quarterly

Community Giving Events “

Their efforts and fine work were very evident on December 11th, 2020, when Women Who Wine hosted a quarterly Community Giving Event, for the first time in a 100% virtual setting, which went really well. After watching our presentation, members of Women Who Wine nominated our Station 106 to receive funding for our much needed Rescue Base, in the amount of $3860.

December 18th, Kailee Ramsell, of the Women Who Wine, met Station Leader, Rob Sutherland, and Bruce Weicker, President of the Shuswap Lifeboat Society on board Tolonen, presenting us a cheque.

More info on the Rescue Base to be added to the Website soon.

The term of Station Leader (SL) with all RCMSAR Stations is two years.

This past November, our SL Fred Banham advised he would like to step away from the role for a period.

Fred continues as one of our Mission Coxswains. For your dedication and countless hours as Station Leader, a tremendous Thank You.

A familiar face stepped forward again to fulfill the Station Leader role for another two years until the Fall of 2022.

During our recent AGM elections, Rob Sutherland was nominated and  acclaimed as Station Leader.

Rob, many will recall, was our first SL when Station 106 Shuswap was initiated way way back in 2012. We have grown a lot since then, now with two Rescue Boats, but in another respect, we have come full circle.

 

Station 106 was very pleased to receive this donation earlier this year.

Twin Anchors owner Todd Kyllo said “he and many others are glad to have the RCMSAR volunteers out on the water (as they) have much better equipment and training to assist the paramedics.”

“Along with the houseboat companies”, Kyllo said “the RCMSAR station is appreciated by other boaters and cabin owners. Their presence on the lake is especially welcome as there have been fewer RCMP and coast guard patrols on the lake in recent years.”

“The donation will help keep the station’s two boats out on the water by helping to cover fuel costs” said Pat Gau of the Shuswap Lifeboat Society.

2020 has been one of the busiest search and rescue seasons on the lakes for Station 106 Shuswap, with the cost at the diesel pumps very high.

 

RCMSAR has garnered a national award for Water Safety Program with the Kids Don’t Float iniative.  A number of new kiosks have been added in the last two years across the many stations.  Leading the way has been our program here on Shuswap and Mara Lakes.  See our page ‘Kids Don’t Float – But PFDs Do!’ to get our complete listing of kioks.

Rob Sutherland, our Station Leader, received the National Merit-Leadership Award from the Canadian Coast Guard at the Annual SAREx event held in September of 2018 in Metchosen, BC.

The Leadership Medal is for members who have maintained an outstanding level of performance and/or achievement over a period of time to further authorized activities of the Auxiliary.

In particular, Rob’s nomination noted the following areas of Leadership:

Recruitment     Training    Acquisition of Equipment and Resources      Operational Readiness    Fund Raising    Community Awareness

Congratulations Rob!

See the whole story at Salmon Arm Observer. Click on picture below.

Community steps up after Kids Don’t Float station vandalized